The Dragon Games
by NinjaCat263
Summary: His whole life had been nothing but heartache and frustration, so why should today be any different? But with two words his whole world fell out from under him. "Bulma Briefs." Seeing his Mother's pin on Bulma's dress snapped him back to the present, his voice speaking without his consent. "I volunteer!" And that's how Vegeta Saiyan ended up in Ee-arth's 74th Annual Dragon Games.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N: Hi, new here. But I know I don't own either Dragon Ball Z or the Hunger Games. They are owned by Akira Toriyama and Suzanne Collins. And all I've seen of DBZ is the Team Four Star Abridged series on Youtube. (Blame my husband.) But I've rambled enough, I hope you like it.**

**Update: Hey, guys. Since I've finally got all three up and posted, I decided to go back and reedit to correct any mistakes and to make some clarifications to my stories. The story remains the same at its heart and I'm leaving all previous notes in place. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy my writings. **

* * *

1

It all started with the Great War. Between the ruling elite and the underclass. This is the story of one who once lived like a prince and a rather intelligent, if now penniless, elite. Both the Saiyan and Briefs families were quite prominent within the Capital, even after their banishment. Why were they banished, you ask? Well, to put it simply, they disagreed with President Freeza Cold. Vegeta Saiyan the III was one of President Cold's best advisors while Hank Briefs was known far and wide amongst all of Ee-arth for his inventions but only the Capital got to use them. Other than the medical devices, that is.

The young Vegeta, son of Vegeta Saiyan the Third, was 5 years old when President Freeza killed his father in cold blood. He heard about it from his father's friend Nappa. Nappa also told him that they were banished to Region 12 because of how outspoken Vegeta's father was about Freeza's questionable activities. Vegeta just stared at Nappa, stunned, "My father!" "I know, Vegeta. But we must go now. Pack only what you cannot leave behind. The President's men will be here shortly to take us to the train station." Nappa spoke softly, kneeling down to be level with the young Vegeta, placing a large hand on the tiny shoulder and pushed a bag into his arms.

Tightly gripped the pack to his chest, Vegeta ran to his room. He didn't want Nappa to see the tears falling from his dark eyes. Once the door closed behind him, Vegeta stopped holding back and let the tears fall; if only for a moment. After a minute or two of mourning his dead father Vegeta roughly wiped the wetness away, _Now's not the time to be a pansy, Vegeta. Now's the time for action. I'll get stronger. I'm going to be the strongest in all of this worthless country. And then Freeza will be dead by my hand._ With renewed determination, Vegeta went to his closet and stuffed some clothes in the backpack Nappa gave him. He only grabbed a handful, it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to get more when they got to Region 12. Turning his attention to his dresser, Vegeta opened the drawers grabbing anything that he would need. He paused to grab a small wooden box, a small reminisce smile on the boy's face, _Don't worry Mom, I wouldn't leave you behind._

Dashing to his father's room, Vegeta put both his small armor and his father's larger armor into another bag; not wanting to leave anything of his heritage behind. As he walked back to the living room where Nappa was waiting, Vegeta recalled a story his father told him about their family once ruling a country named after them. The country of Vegeta-sai was well known for their fierce warriors, they had a strength unmatched by any other, his father has said. There was a myth of a warrior so strong that not even bullets could hurt them, the Legendary his father had called it. Vegeta curled his right hand into a fist and snarled, _I will become the Legendary. I swear Dad, I will kill that murder Freeza._

"Well, where are our escorts?" Vegeta snapped as he entered the living room. The was another man there now, the most notable thing about this young man, other than his Freeza Force uniform, is his wild mane of unruly black hair which was most certainly _not_ regulation. Surprised, Vegeta scowled, "Raditz! What are you doing here?" The teenager chuckled, "Good to see you too Vegeta. I'm here to see you to the train." "But why you?" Vegeta wondered, it was no secret that he didn't like Raditz. "Because our President knows that you can't stand me, that's why. But, unbeknownst to him, I promised your father I'd do what I can to keep you safe. Just keep in mind that if it comes between my neck and yours, mine come first. Always." Raditz glared at the young boy with hard eyes. Vegeta and his bald guardian knew the teen meant every word.

The trip to the station was uneventful. The train ride was even more boring for Vegeta. "Hey, Vegeta!" Nappa called from across the train car. When the boy ignored him, Nappa resorted to his usual way of getting his attention, "Vegeta! Vegeta! Vegeta! Vegeta! Vegeta!" "What Nappa?!" Vegeta snapped, finally looking at his guardian to get him to shut up. Smiling that his tactic worked like a charm, Nappa said, "Look over here!" They were passing Region 4 and it's sea. Vegeta stared wide-eyed at the shining, shimmering surface of the water, he had never seen anything quite like it before and he subconsciously knew he would not see anything like it again.

"Pretty impressive isn't it?" a new voice behind him said. The young boy wanted to turn around and inspect the new arrival but he couldn't bring himself to stop staring at the beauty before him. A moment later they were turning and the sea went out of sight, never to be seen again. Finally able to tear his eyes from the window, Vegeta scowled and turned to greet the visitor. To his surprise, it was the famous Dr. Briefs. "Tch." Vegeta scoffed, "It wasn't that impressive." "Then that the look on your face was a wonderful act, son." Dr. Briefs smiled knowingly behind his glasses.

"And may I ask why you are here with us?" Vegeta questioned, crossing his arms defensibly as he glared up at the man. The smile dropped a little but Dr. Briefs voice was strong, "The same reason you are Vegeta Saiyan. I agreed with your father. And so me, my wife Panchy, and our daughter Bulma have been banished to Region 12. Along with you and Nappa apparently." Not always the sharpest tool in the shed, Nappa spoke up in that gravelly voice of his, "If you agreed with my King then why didn't President Freeza kill you?" "Nappa!" Vegeta growled, even he knew better than to ask such a question, _Alt__hough I'm glad you asked it instead of me._

Dr. Briefs chuckled lightly as he sat down in a plush chair, "It's ok Vegeta. To put it simply, I'm too valuable to just kill off on a whim. I've made far too many things for the President and no one but I can fix them. I made sure of it. Call it life insurance if you want but it's made sure me and my family made it this far." Looking at the boy who looked so much like his father, Hank Briefs said, "You're father told him that. You'd be proud to know that he didn't grovel or beg before that lizard of a man. He wanted to make his son proud of him one last time." As Hank took his glasses off to wipe at his eyes to keep from crying in front of the boy, he cleared his throat, "Here, he wanted me to give you this." Vegeta took the slip of paper from the inventor and read it.

_ Vegeta, my Prince. If you're reading this, then I'm sorry that I can't be there to protect you from the fallout. Please know that I had not meant for you to get hurt in all of this. But you also know that I could not just stand idly by and let that tyrant run amuck. I've made sure that you will be well taken care of, provided that you're careful with the funds that I have already put in place for you. To get them, go see Captain Ginyu, he is honorable; but once you retrieve the money from him I wouldn't trust him until he proves himself to you. Once you are in Region 12 you will be entered into the Games when you are old enough, not even I could make sure that did not happen. You must be prepared. I wouldn't put it above Freeza to rig it and your name be called. I left you something to help with your preparations. Go to the field, under the fence, and through the woods until you see the Mark. There you'll find my final gift. I'm sorry I can't do more, son. I love you Vegeta, my Prince._

Vegeta felt tears welling up again. He sniffed them away, determined not to cry in front of anyone. As he carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket, Vegeta thought to himself, _I will win the Games. I'll become the Legendary and win. And then I'm coming for you Freeza._ "Thank you Dr. Briefs." Was all Vegeta could say as he scowled at the floor like it had robbed him of the life he once knew.

Suddenly the door to the car opened and in walked a woman with curly blond hair and an outrageous smile for someone who just got banished from the Capital and quite possibly the only life she knew. In her arms was a 5-year-old girl in an aquamarine dress that came down to her knees. The woman put her down so the girl could walk over to her father and she kind of wobbled with the barely noticeable rocking of the train. Vegeta saw that her hair was blue. _Strange. That's my favorite color._ He mused as he watched the girl move slowly across the room.

She was a few feet away from Vegeta when the train went around a curve and fell square on her behind. A cackling laugh escaped him as Vegeta watched her fall from such a small bump. When the blue-haired girl heard Vegeta's laugh she looked at him and started to pout as she stared at his black spiky, upswept hair. To stop the girl from crying and keep himself from getting yelled at for upsetting her, Vegeta went over and held out his hand. Accepting his hand, she allowed him to help her to her feet. "Your hair. It's blue. Aren't you a little young to be wearing a wig?" Vegeta stated, a bit rougher than he meant too. "Well, for your information mister! My hair _is_ blue and it's my _natural_ hair color!" the girl huffed, her hands clenching into fists at her side.

Scowling at her outburst, Vegeta crossed his arms and turned his head away. "What's your name?" He didn't even look at her as he asked this. The question surprised her, making her forget her anger for a moment, "I'm Bulma Briefs. What's yours?" His face stayed where it was but his eyes glanced at her so she knew he heard her, "Vegeta Saiyan." "How old are you Vegeta?" _Great. She likes to ask questions._ Vegeta rolled his eyes but couldn't keep himself from humoring her, "Five." Bulma's blue eyes lit up excitedly, "Cool! I'm five too. Are you coming on vacation with us?" _Really? They haven't told her yet? I should tell her the truth._ But as soon as that thought crossed his mind Vegeta discarded it. _No. Her parents lied to her and they should have to be the ones to tell her the truth._

Turning to look Bulma, Vegeta lied, "No. I'm on orders from President Freeza. He wants me to… keep an eye out of illegal stuff. And watch out for you." _Why did I say that? Now she'll never leave me alone!_ "Wow! That is so cool! Did you hear that Daddy? The President sent me a bodyguard." Bulma exclaimed as she ran over to the man with graying lavender hair. Chuckling at his enthusiastic daughter, Dr. Briefs nodded, "Yes I did Sweetheart." The inventor looked at the young boy who had just lost his father, trying to convey his gratitude for not destroying his daughter's fantasy through his eyes alone. Hank knows he'll have to tell his daughter someday that this is not a vacation, just not today. Oddly enough, Vegeta found that the rest of the train ride wasn't quite so boring as he originally thought it'd be.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Shortly after arriving at the train station in Region 12, Vegeta made Nappa take him to Captain Ginyu's house. Nappa didn't question his young charge seeing as he was told by King Vegeta to stop by Ginyu's for something and that Vegeta would know what it was. Despite the rapid pounding on the door, it took Captain Ginyu several minutes to answer it. "What?!" the man with close-cut, black hair opened the door. He appears rather sweaty and his hair is spiked up at odd angles like he was working out or something. Trying his best to be intimidating, Vegeta scowled as he looked up at the man, "Captain Ginyu, I presume?" Ginyu leaned against the doorframe, staring down at the child on his doorstep, "You're Saiyan's kid, huh? Come on in. You too, big guy."

The inside of Ginyu's home was not any more impressive than the outside, in other words, a bland 4-room house consisting of a small bedroom, a tiny kitchen, an itty, bitty bathroom with barely enough space for a shower, and a surprisingly spacious living room. Nappa sat on the run-down couch while Vegeta stayed standing as Ginyu went into the kitchen. "I take it you're here for what you Dad left with me?" he hollered from the kitchen. "Yes. Now get on with it!" Vegeta snapped, grumbling under his breath, "This day has been bad enough and I don't want to be kept waiting any longer then I need to be." Downing his water as he walked back to the living room, Ginyu shrugged as he grabbed a crowbar, using it to pry up a floor board in the middle of the room. Once the board was removed, the Captain pulled out a small, cylindrical capsule like thing with a plunger thingy on one end of it. "Here. Now get out. You interrupted my dan.. workout routine." Vegeta barely caught it when the Captain tossed it at him before he was herded out the door by Nappa.

Having nothing else to do, Vegeta followed Nappa through the streets of Region 12. He vaguely noted that they were heading towards the outskirts of town but it's not like it bothered him. Vegeta used to wonder the outer edges of the Capital by himself for the last several months. Most people didn't mess with him because of who his father was and those that did quickly learned that 5-year old Vegeta could take care of himself just fine in a fight; even when outnumbered. "Look Vegeta! We're here." Nappa said as he stepped up onto the decrepit-looking porch.

Vegeta paused to look at the rest of the house and it was just as dilapidated as the front porch. Shudders hanging at odd angles, crumbling bricks somehow still managing to cling to the chimney, gray paint peeling off the siding, which was cracked, split, and even completely gone in some places. _This is where I'm going to be living? Ugh. Wonderful._ Following his guardian inside, Vegeta found that the inside was not really much better than the outside. There was an old couch, a chair, and an older model T.V. in the living room which was connected to a modestly sized kitchen with a large table and chair set and the fireplace was huge. On the other side of the kitchen, there was another room the same size as the living room but it was completely bare and the windows were covered in some kind of paper. _That room would make a great training room._ Vegeta thought as he followed Nappa up the stairs to the bedrooms.

There were only two bedrooms. They both contained a dresser, a small closet, and a full-size bed; minus sheets and pillows. Nappa let Vegeta pick his room first, seeing as they were both the same size and everything. Vegeta dumped his bags in the room on the left, closest to the stairs because he always felt better if he knew he had a way out in case something happened. That's why his room back home had an escape tunnel into the living room, his Dad was the one who helped him build it after his Mom died. As Nappa went to put his bag away, Vegeta investigated the bathroom. It was rather plain. It had a sink with a mirror, a toilet, and a bathtub. _No shower? I guess there are some things that I am going to miss._ Vegeta mused. But then he noticed something; there was only one faucet on both the sink and the tub. Which meant that there was only one water setting. Cold. _Just great. No hot water either._

Vegeta turned around and met Nappa in the hallway. "Hey there, Vegeta. I'm going to get a fire going and then see if there's anything to eat in this place. It shouldn't take me too long." Nappa started to head downstairs when Vegeta called out, "Nappa!" The bald man turned towards his young charge, "Yes, Vegeta?" Staring down at his white boots, Vegeta struggled to form his question, "Did your family come from Vegeta-sai?" Sighing as he walked closer to the boy, Nappa bent down on one knee and answered, "Yes. Why do you ask?" "Is it true that our people were great fighters?" The look on Nappa's face said that he was wondering why Vegeta was asking all these questions. "Yes, and we still are. That's why your father, my King, asked me to look after you. It's why Raditz, even though he's young, is on the Freeza Force." Nappa stated with pride, adding softly, "Why are you asking about this now, Vegeta?"

Crossing his arms, Vegeta snapped, "Because," He raised his head to look Nappa in the eye, "I want you to train me to fight. Dad told me in that note Dr. Briefs gave me that my name will be entered into the Games and, knowing that lizard, _he_ might rig it to where my name is called the first time it's entered." Softly adding he glanced to the side, "And I want to be the one to kill Freeza." Nappa couldn't help himself as he chuckled at the boy's determination, which earned him a scowl from said boy, "I would be honored to train you in the ways of our people, my Prince. But not today. Today is a day of mourning. Tomorrow, training begins." With that, Nappa went downstairs to work on heat and food.

Vegeta came downstairs after unpacking his bags to find a nice roaring fire and the tell-tell smell of something cooking. Or rather, something burning. "What's burning, Nappa?" "Oh shoot! I forgot!" Nappa ran over the stove and opened the oven. Black smoke billowed out as the smell of burnt food got worse. "I'm sorry, Vegeta. Looks like we won't be having rolls with dinner." "Tch. Doesn't look like much of a dinner at all." Vegeta grumbled. "I'm going out for a walk." Vegeta waved his hand dismissively as Nappa tried to tell him to be careful.

* * *

The sun was setting as Vegeta walked over to the field near his new house. _This must be the field that Dad mentioned. So there must be a hole in the fence nearby. Agh! I'll never be able to find anything in the dark. Guess I'll just have to wait 'til morning._ As he turned around to go home Vegeta smelled the most wonderful odor, which suddenly caused his stomach to growl. _Where is that smell coming from?_ He wondered as he tracked the smell to a house about four or five houses closer to town then his. Carefully creeping up onto the porch, Vegeta peeked in a window. On the table inside there was a feast laid out; well, not a true Capital feast but a grand feast by Region 12 standards. A certain blue-hair girl turned around at the worst possible second and caught Vegeta spying on them. He ducked down quickly but the top of his spiky hair could still be seen, not that he knew that of course.

Suddenly the door beside him opened, scaring Vegeta half to death as he instinctively raised his fists; ready for a fight. Staring at her strange new friend, Bulma apologized, "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." "Scared? I wasn't scared. It takes a lot more than a _girl_ to scare me." Vegeta huffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away. "Well, Mister 'I'm not scared of anything' would you like to come in and have dinner with us?" Vegeta looked at Bulma again, smirking, "Well, if you insist. Would it be alright if I go get Nappa? Goodness knows how much more food he's made inedible by now." She beamed a brilliant smile at him, nodding, "Sure! I'll go help Momma set two more places. Just come on in when you get back, I'll leave the door open." With that, she disappeared inside and Vegeta marched back to his house to fetch Nappa for supper with the Briefs.

Thank goodness they were eating at the Briefs because Nappa had charred everything else he had tried to fix except the salad. And the only reason he didn't mess that up was because he didn't have to do anything to it other than cut it up. So Nappa brought the small bowl of greens and followed Vegeta to the Briefs. Shocked as Vegeta just opened the door and walked in without knocking, Nappa scolded him, "Vegeta! You're supposed to knock and wait for someone to open the door." "The Girl said to _'just come on in'_ when we got here." Vegeta snapped back frustrated, his hunger getting the better of him. Mrs. Briefs came over and snatched that bowl out of Nappa's hands, "Come in! Vegeta's all my little Bulma's been able to talk about since we got here. Come have a seat. Everything's ready." Not left with any choice but to obey Panchy's soft but unyielding command, the Prince and his guardian found a seat at the dinner table.

* * *

The next few hours were filled with much food and soft conversation. And let no one tell you that Mrs. Panchy Briefs cannot cook. Indeed, she is a master in the kitchen and all things food-related. Once dinner was done, Bulma grabbed Vegeta's hand, "Come on, I want to show you something." Having nothing better to do, Vegeta let her pull him up the stairs to her room. _Huh, she picked the same room I did._ Vegeta vaguely noted before he was dragged inside. Letting go of his hand, Bulma rummaged around for something in her dresser and pulled out another capsule like the one he got from Captain Ginyu. "Here." Bulma held it out for him to take. "Thanks." Vegeta muttered, cautiously taking it and turned it about in his hands. _Great. Now I have two of these things and no earthly idea what they're for!_

"Go on. Open it." Bulma encouraged, glancing down at his hand then back up to his face. Vegeta gripped it tightly and turned his head, mumbling something she couldn't hear. "What'd you say? I didn't catch that?" Her clear blue eyes studied his face, he was so young but he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Grumbling, Vegeta repeated himself a little louder, "I said I don't know how." Gently taking the device from Vegeta, Bulma pushed the plunger on the end of it and tossed it on her bed. There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, sitting where she had tossed the capsule was a pair of binoculars. Pretty high-end ones too, from the looks of them. Vegeta's eyes went wide, _So that's how it works… Ok. I'll have to remember to grab it before I leave the house tomorrow and find whatever else my Dad left me._ Bulma picked the binoculars up and presented her gift to Vegeta a second time, "Here. I don't know if you already have one of these but I thought that you might want something better then what President Freeza normally issues his men."

Once Vegeta accepted them from her, she went on to explain all the extra buttons and add-ons. "Of course they function just like normal binoculars, this is what make it zoom in and out and it can zoom in so far that you can see the second hand on the clock tower at the Justice Building from the field. And if you press this green button here, it lets you see in the dark. Oh! Here, let me show you what his red button does." Bulma pushed the aforementioned red button and stepped back. Curiously, Vegeta held the device to his eyes and looked through it. "All I see is you." He growled in annoyance, pulling the thing from his face.

Pouting, Bulma demanded that he humor her one last time and after he was looking through the device again, she raised a hand and waved at him. Shocked, Vegeta pulled the binoculars away, "What sorcery is this? Your head and hand were to different colors." "It's called science not sorcery, silly." Bulma giggled before explaining, "It's supposed to help you find heat signatures. Every person or animal gives off heat and this little feature lets you see it. It's best to use if tracking something over a large distance. But I'm sure that you'll figure out how to use it."

Vegeta stared down at the gift in his hands, awestruck that she'd give him something like this. He'd only just met her today. "But why are you giving me this?" he inquired, _She has to want something in exchange. All my __**'friends'**__ did._ "I don't know. I guess I wanted to thank you for coming to watch out for me." Bulma shrugged; that was the best explanation she had. Bowing his head, Vegeta accepted her gratitude and said that it was probably time for him to leave.

Bulma failed to suppress a yawn as they arrived back with the adults, so her mother made her turn right around and go get ready for bed. "But Momma! Vegeta's still here!" Bulma whined, stomping her foot in protest. Standing up from the couch, Nappa stretched as he stated, "I think it's time for us to get going, little one." "Just listen to your mother while you can still hear her voice." Vegeta snapped. He sighed as he turned towards the door, "Let's go Nappa. I'm tired. And ready for this day to be over." Dr. Briefs walked their guests to the door while Bulma and her mother went upstairs, "Thank you for joining us for dinner. I see that Bulma gave you her prototype. She must trust you." The boy only shrugged, trying to give an air of nonchalance, "She only gave it to me to help better protect her while on 'vacation' Old Man. You need to tell her the truth and soon." _She thinks the world of you._ "I know young man, I know. But not tonight. She still has so much hope and so many ideas. Make no mistake Vegeta, I will be the one to tell Bulma. And I will be the one to make sure that she will be safe for years to come." Dr. Briefs said with conviction as he opened the door, "Good night Vegeta. Let's hope tomorrow will be a better day."


	3. Chapter 3

3

After a restless night, Vegeta awoke at daybreak. Dressing quickly, Vegeta thought about sneaking downstairs but Nappa may already be up and moving about. Possibly fixing breakfast. Vegeta snarled at the thought. _Looks like the window is the best option._ The climb down to the ground was not as difficult as he originally thought because of a mass of vines growing on the back of the house.

It wasn't long before Vegeta was on the edge of the field, near the electric fence. _Huh? It doesn't seem like the power is on._ Vegeta found a stick to test his theory, and he was right. _This is going to be easier than I thought. _The boy with the flame-swept hair smirked as he slipped between the lowest wires and into the wild beyond. Pulling out his father's note, Vegeta read the directions again. _Go to the field, under the fence, and through the woods until you see the Mark. There you'll find my final gift._ With his target in mind, he set out in more or less a straight line. At least Vegeta had the foresight to bring the small pocketknife his father gave him a few years back so he can leave a barely noticeable trail back to the fence.

A few hours later, Vegeta finally found what his father was talking about. There was his father's Mark on an old oak tree, a trident standing tall in a u-shape with barbs on the ends. The Royal Crest of his kin. _Now, where would Dad hide… whatever it was that he left for me._ Scanning the top of the tree, Vegeta shook his head. _That'd be too obvious. It's got to be somewhere that would stay hidden._ So he turned his attention to the trunk of the tree. Vegeta circled the tree but there were no cracks or gouges in which to hid even a capsule. Nearly tripping over a root, Vegeta growled in frustration. His fists slammed against the ground, trying to quail his anger but then he noticed something. There was, however, a nice little hollow amongst some of the roots. _Finally!_ Vegeta got down, looking into the hollow area and found… _Another one?!_ "Well, at least I know how these work now." He grumbled as he pushed the plunger and waited for the smoke to clear. And there, sitting on the ground, was a bow with a quiver full of arrows and another note.

_Well done son. I knew you'd find it, Vegeta. You have your Mother's brain and my tenacity. Now, I would be a bad father if I did not tell you that you cannot take these weapons back inside the fence. It would be counted as treason for you to even have the pocketknife I gave you, as small as it is. So please, keep them out here. I would advise a new hiding place, but that's me. Be careful not to lose your arrows, I don't know when you will be able to figure out how to make more even with the instructions I found on the back of this paper. All I know about hunting is that you must be quiet and have lots of patience, but I'm sure you will pick on it quickly. You always were a fast learner. I've got to go get ready for a meeting with Freeza. I love you my son, Prince Vegeta._

_Dad must've wrote this right before he died._ Vegeta realized. _But, how'd it end up here?_ Deciding that it was a question that he would probably never know the answer to, Vegeta pocketed the now empty capsule in exchange for the one with a blue band around the middle of the strange device. _Now for the other one._ Finally opening the capsule from Ginyu, Vegeta's eyes went wide at the sight. It was three huge duffle bags and they were all filled to the brim with money. "No way Nappa is getting his hands on all of this." Vegeta decided as he got out 300 Zeni before recapsuling the bags. Stuffing the Zeni in his pocket, Vegeta decided to not worry about learning to use his bow just yet. Right now he had to get back before Nappa figures out that he left.

Vegeta returned his weapon to its red-banded capsule and followed his trail back to the fence. When he could just barely see the fence through the trees, Vegeta stopped to find a good place to hide his small storage devices. Spotting a pine tree that had all the hiding places he was looking for, Vegeta placed one in the roots of the tree and one in a crevice at eye level for a 5-year-old boy. Before he left, he carved the Saiyan Royal Crest into the tree so that he could definitely know which one he had chosen as his hiding place. With his prizes safely tucked away, Vegeta slipped back under the fence and ran home.

As Vegeta opened the front door he realized his mistake, _Shoot! I left through my window. Maybe I can just…_ Nappa heard the door open from the kitchen, "Hey, Vegeta! Where'd ya go? I've got breakfast ready." _Or not…_ "I went for a run." Vegeta lied threw his teeth as he sat down at the table. Apparently breakfast was Nappa's specialty judging from the spread of food on the table. Stacks of pancakes, piles of French Toast, fruit, and what had to be five pounds of bacon and salted ham. "Eat up, Vegeta. I start work tomorrow in the mines so this will be the only full day of training you'll get for a while." As Vegeta tucked into his meal he recalled his Dad once said that a Saiyan warrior's appetite was unmatched by any other. And he was right. Within 15 minutes whatever food Vegeta didn't get on his plate, Nappa devoured; there was not a wayward crumb in sight.

Raising from their meal, Nappa cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink before walking into the room they would be using for training. "Where are you going, Nappa?" Vegeta demanded as he followed after his bald guardian. Nappa stood in the middle of the empty room, his back to the boy, and spoke in a solemn tone. "I cannot promise that I will not hurt you, my Prince. But know this, I will not hold back. Because if you are called to fight in the Games, your opponents will not hesitate to kill you. You are the Prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, and in order for you to establish your authority and take your father's crown, you must be able to show that you have the strength to lead." With that, the large man turned and lunged at Vegeta with amazing speed.

_Shoot!_ Vegeta barely dodged Nappa's hands in time. A smirk settling on his features, Vegeta focused all his energy into dodging his mountain of an opponent. _Hopefully as Nappa gets tired, he'll get sloppy and then I can start my attacks._ Vegeta's father had started teaching him the basics of fighting not that long ago, in secret of course; because Freeza didn't want anyone but those on his Freeza Force to know how to fight. Unless one was from Region 2, they usually had their people either join the Freeza Force willingly or were forced into it. Barely staying out of reach, Vegeta wondered how long this fight would last. Just then, Nappa grabbed him and threw him into a wall.

"Focus, Vegeta! I could've killed you if I had wanted to." Nappa barked, not even giving the child a second to recover from the blow before rounding on him again. And so continued the rest of Vegeta's day, he got a few lucky hits in but he mostly was Nappa's punching bag. It was late afternoon by the time they stopped. Panting, Vegeta slapped the 300 Zeni he got earlier that morning on the table, "Here, this is some of what Dad left for me with Ginyu. It's to be used for the house and food, anything leftover is mine." "But Vegeta!" Nappa started to whine but the boy cut him off, "No, Nappa! My Zeni, my rules. Besides, you said you had a job already." Nappa relented, "Fine. Come on, let's go into town. We more food anyway."

The walk into town was short and it surprised Vegeta with just how small the place felt. _Wasn't this Region bigger on the old maps?_ "Vegeta!" He turned around from the window of the bakery he was gazing into, seeking the person who was calling him. It wasn't Nappa, the voice was too high-pitched to be him. Suddenly someone tapped on Vegeta's shoulder, startling him. Quickly turning back towards the window, he saw the girl with blue hair that never seemed to leave him alone. Bulma beamed at her friend, "Hi. I got something for you." She pulled on Vegeta's arm until he sat down on the curb beside her.

Once they were both seated Bulma opened a small box and pulled out two swirled pastries. Vegeta's eyes went wide, "They have cinnamon rolls here? I thought those were only found back home." He started to jump up to go get himself one when Bulma stopped him, "Sit down. I got you one already. Sheesh, I thought you were smart." That commit made Vegeta scowl as he snatched his roll out of her hand, "I am smarter than a stupid girl. My Dad was President Freeza's best advisor, so of course, I'm smart. Just like my Dad." "Well _my_ Dad is the best inventor in all of Ee-arth, and I'm even better than him. Daddy said so himself." She scoffed back, biting into her treat angrily. Deciding to hold his tongue, Vegeta ate in silence beside the girl he had so foolishly tied himself too. _Why am I even here? Can I not go two minutes without hearing her screeching?_

After finishing her pastry, Bulma glanced over at Vegeta, "I know we're not really here on vacation." Vegeta quirked an eyebrow at her and she understood his silent, _'continue'._ "Dad told me this morning. So you don't have to pretend to protect me." She sighed, her face sad and forlorn. "A Prince never goes back on his word." Vegeta growled, adding softly, "I told you that on the train because I didn't want the adults upset with me. But if it had been _my_ daughter, I would have told her the truth from the beginning." Just then Bulma's mother came out of the bakery and she had to go. Parting ways, Vegeta hurried over to Nappa as he exited the butcher's shop.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Both Vegeta and Bulma started school the next week, consistently competing to be the best in the class. From singing, which even Vegeta begrudgingly admits that Bulma was way better than him, to science and math to physical education; of course, Vegeta would be the best at that since he was training with Nappa every evening. As the months dragged on into years, Vegeta got extremely good at hunting and tracking. He once tracked an injured doe for five hours one Saturday, managing to sneak it through the fence and to the butcher without leaving so much as a trace of his illegal activity. He always left any extra money he made from his hunting and foraging trips at the Briefs. If you asked him why, Vegeta would simply glare at you until you either felt like you were bursting into flames or left him alone.

One day while at school, Vegeta heard Bulma talking with a friend of hers about how nervous she was about putting her name in the Games. "I mean we're well off enough, but I'm thinking of putting my name in for the rations." "And why would you do that, Girl?" Vegeta snapped, _Shoot, I didn't want her to know that I was listening._ Blinking at the surly nearly-12-year-old, Bulma shot back, "Because I want to feel like I'm doing my part for my family." Vegeta growled, "You will _not_ put your name in more than once." With the unspoken threat hanging in the air, Vegeta stalked away. _It's a good thing my birthday is before Her's._

A few days later, Vegeta knocked on the Briefs front door. _Of course... It just had to be Her._ Vegeta grumbled as Bulma opened the door. "Vegeta! Hi. Come on in." She stepped to the side, noticing that Vegeta was carrying a sack and two jugs, "You _didn't_." "I did." He smirked, moving to set the ration supplies down on the kitchen table. As soon as Vegeta's hands were free, Bulma snagged his arm and dragged him up to her room. Slamming the door, she hissed at him, "Why would you do that?!" Vegeta shrugged as he stared out the window, scowling, "A Prince never goes back on his word." It would be the only explanation she would get because it was the only one he had.

Though Bulma was still upset with him, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "How many slips have your name?" "Six." He answered without hesitation, there was no point in trying to hide it from her, she just find out somehow. "And I will continue to get your family's rations until I'm called into the Games." Vegeta growled, and Bulma knew he was not to be challenged on this matter. They fought like cats and dogs most days but she was careful to pick her battles and this was not one she needed to fight because she would lose. And Bulma Briefs hates losing to anyone, Vegeta Saiyan especially. She raised her hands compliantly, "Ok. Wait a minute. What do you mean '_until_' you're called into the Games?"

Sighing, Vegeta sat heavily down on her bed, "It's only a matter of time for me, Bulma. The President could rig the drawings to where I'm Called, even for this year's Game. That's part of the reason why I took the rations for you; he'll want to keep you alive because after your father dies, you will be the only person who can repair his inventions. I don't know why I'm even alive but as soon as my name is called, my life is forfeit. Even with all the training I've been doing with Nappa I still don't stand a chance against a Career right now."

Bulma had never seen this side of Vegeta, he actually looked unsure; afraid. She tried her best to encourage him, "I'm sure that you won't be called. There are a lot more…people here that are sure to have a lot more than six slips with their name on 'em." Glowing at her, Vegeta exploded, "ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID GIRL?! Did you not just hear what I said?! It doesn't matter how many pieces of paper has my name! That _murdering_ _lizard_ could still have me put in the Games and then I'll be dead! Do you hear me? Dead!" With her fists at her side, Bulma said coolly, in a tone even Vegeta feared, "Get. Out." "Fine." He ground out as he went to the window, deciding that climbing down would be the fastest way away from the source of his frustrations.

* * *

The next day he went to the Market. It was located at the edge of the Region near the railroad tracks and warehouses and was a place for selling and buying items of questionable origins. Vegeta never really liked going to the Market but there were some things found here that one could not find in any store in the Square. And today he was on a mission, Vegeta wanted to find something to gift Bulma for her birthday; something he had never done before. As he wondered that last row of stalls in the Market, something finally caught his eye. It was an old roll of paper that had wrenches and different tools printed on it. _Perfect._ "How much for the roll of paper?" He inquired. The shopkeeper looked at him, recognition flickering across her face as she said, "3 zeni, Prince Vegeta." "I'll take it." Vegeta handed the zeni over and picked up the paper. Vegeta hurried home to wrap the small wooden box he had brought from his old home in the paper he had bought. He knew Bulma would love it.

* * *

The day of the Calling, two days after Bulma's birthday, Vegeta climbed up to her window and knocked. Quickly letting him in, Bulma was frustrated at being interrupted from getting ready, "What do you want?" Vegeta was nervous for a number of reasons, one of which being that he didn't know if Bulma would accept his gift. "Here. Sorry it's late. Happy Birthday." With that, he shoved the gift in her hand and turned to exit out the window again. But the soft arms wrapping around his chest stopped him dead in his tracks. "Thank you, Vegeta." Bulma said, her face pressed against his shoulder blades for a brief moment before she released him. As soon as he felt her arms loosen, Vegeta was through the window and gone in what seemed like a blink of an eye. When he was out of sight, Bulma opened her gift and found a pin. It was a trident standing tall in a u-shape with barbs on the ends made of gold and encrusted with sapphires and rubies.

Vegeta was not Called that day. Nor the next year. Or the year after that. And to his great relief neither was Bulma. If she was Called, well, Vegeta didn't know what he'd do. _A Prince never goes back on his word. If she's Called and I am not, then I must volunteer._ Vegeta came to that conclusion when he was 15. But he also planned on volunteering when he was 17, whether Bulma was Called or not. The Saiyan Prince silently hoped that he would never hear her name Called.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: Sorry if it's been a little slow up to now but it's about to start picking up. Just hang in there and thanks for reading!**

* * *

5

Rolling over as the sun crept through the window, Vegeta grunted before getting out of bed. _It's that day again. One more year. Then I'll volunteer and I will win._ "I'm coming for you Freeza." The sixteen-year-old knew that he had plenty of time before he had to be ready for the Calling ceremony at 2, so he decided to go for a run around the perimeter of Region 12. It was not uncommon for the Freeza Force guarding the Region to see him running, Vegeta had been doing it for years, so they paid him no mind. Plus Capitan Ginyu had given specific instructions to not bother the teen unless he was obviously doing something illegal.

Barely exhausted from his endurance training, Vegeta returned to his bedroom snatching a towel he had left there and started to dry himself off. He absentmindedly picked up the prototype binoculars and used them to check on Bulma. Over the past several years the houses between Vegeta's and Bulma's had become vacant, so Vegeta learned to use the heat signature feature to make sure that it was just the Briefs in their house. As usual, Bulma was still in bed since she didn't have to be anywhere for several hours. "Tch." Vegeta scoffed, gently tossing the binoculars on his bed before leaving through the window.

"Wake up, Woman!" Bulma startled awake at Vegeta's booming voice. Swatting at his shoulder, Bulma grumbled, "Jerk! Who do you think you are coming in here and waking me up like that on the _one_ day I get to sleep in?" Her weak hit did nothing to wipe the smirk off Vegeta's face, "Oh come now, Woman. It's the worst day of the year, especially for us. Can you blame me for wanting to have you all to myself for a moment or two?" Slightly taken aback by his rather forward words, Bulma shook her head as she went to her closet to pick out a dress for today. She couldn't explain it but she felt like she should wear something worthy of the Capital instead of her usual Calling dress. "You do realize that you can use the front door, right?" All she got was a grunt in response, so she continued looking through her clothes, "Why do you like coming through my window so much?" Vegeta shrugged even though her back was to him, he didn't quite know why; actually he did, he just wasn't about to let that thought be known. Even to himself.

Finally deciding on a dress, Bulma turned to her invader and caught him watching her. Flustered, Vegeta glanced out the open window, "I should go so you can get ready." "Nonsense." Bulma said, grabbing his hand, "At least come eat breakfast with me." Of course she didn't give him a choice as she practically dragged her guest downstairs. Granted, Vegeta was stronger than her so he could've easily broken free but he didn't; and Bulma noticed. Smiling at her mother in the kitchen, Bulma greeted her as they entered, "Morning, Momma. Is it ok if Vegeta eats breakfast with us?" "Well, of course, Dear." Mrs. Briefs answered as she busied about serving a meal fit for a king.

As usual, any food that Mrs. Panchy Briefs fixed was exceptional. When it seemed that Vegeta had finally eaten his fill, Panchy wondered aloud, "When did you get here, Vegeta? I don't remember hearing the door open." Vegeta pushed his plate away and opened his mouth to answer but Bulma beat him to it, "That's because he came in through my window." Mrs. Briefs arched an eyebrow up, "Last night?" "MOM!" Bulma exclaimed but that only made the knowing smile on her mother's face grow. _Time to get out of here._ Vegeta decided his best option was to make for the nearest exit, which happened to be the front door.

Once outside and away from Bulma's screeching and her mother's smiles, Vegeta looked at the position of the sun, _10 o'clock! Shoot! I've got to get home._ Not caring that Nappa knew where he had been, Vegeta opened the front door carefully. Cautiously stepping inside, Vegeta strained his ears to listen for where his bald guardian may be hiding. Stalking silently towards the kitchen, the teen ducked as a large hand swished through the tips of his spiky black hair. "You're getting faster, Vegeta. Good. You may stand a chance in these Games yet." Nappa chuckled as he barely blocked a kidney punch. The reluctant comrades continued sparring for the next two hours with Vegeta managing to land several hits and kicks.

Finally stopping for a light lunch, Nappa grinned at his not-so-young charge, "You did good today. I'd say another year or two and you'll be ready to take on Freeza." Vegeta grunted as he tore into his food. Swallowing, the teen ventured to ask, "What do you know about the Legendary?" "Well," Nappa sighed, "not much. Only the Royal family have been known to achieve it, the last one being your Great-Grandfather, Vegeta the First. It is said that nothing can hurt the Legendary, other than himself; and that once the Legendary is focused on something or someone, nothing will stop him. Now, I don't know how true this bit of information is, but people have said that the hair and eyes of the Legendary change colors. But that's more of a myth than anything." "But how does one become the Legendary?" Vegeta growled, frustrated at the bald oaf's sudden slowness. _At this rate, I'll have less than an hour to get ready._ Nappa shrugged, "No one knows. I heard from a scientist once that it may be linked to one's emotions, but again, there has not been a Legendary since your Great-Grandfather. But enough of this. It's time for you to get ready." With that last statement, Nappa got up to do the dishes.

After a cold bath, Vegeta dried himself off as he walked to his closet. He pulled on a clean pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt that clung tightly to his damp chest, and a fitted black button-up shirt over-top of the t-shirt. Glancing down, Vegeta saw the duffle bag he pack over a decade ago. Something was telling him he should bring it this year. Vegeta unzipped the bag and pulled out his old training armor, it was far too small for him now but his father's armor looked like it would fit perfectly. Carefully hiding the smaller armor under his mattress with the binoculars, Vegeta closed the duffle bag back up and carried it down to the living room.

* * *

Nappa carried the bag over his shoulder as they walked towards the Justice Building near the Train Station. _Why am I nervous? Nothing's going to happen today._ Vegeta shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he held out his hand for the workers to stick his finger to mark his attendance. After his finger touched the page, he was herded towards an area roped off for the sixteen-year-old boys. There was a section for each age and gender group, boys on the left and girls on the right. Now all he could do was wait under the scorching summer sun for the show to start.


	6. Chapter 6

6

Right after the clock tower struck 2, the giant screens on either side of an obviously, hastily made stage flickered to life as cameras showed the crowd of kids and then the three figures on the stage. On the left was a middle-aged man with roughly cut blond hair and a shaggy beard, his name was Piccolo Woodwind, Winner of the 50th Games. Vegeta noticed that his eyes were bloodshot, _He must have been drinking last night._ Next to Piccolo was the Mayor, a slender man with brown hair and a rather boring look about him. And on the right side of the Mayor was the Capital Escort, he was new this year, fairly young, dressed in orange and blue of all colors, and it appears that a strong gust of wind had taken his wig because the short man's shiny bald head was in clear view.

The brightly dressed Escort approached the microphone located at the front of the stage between the two glass bowls holding slips of paper; each paper held a name. "Hello! My name is Krillin Sanchez and it is my honor to begin the most wonderful of occasions, the Calling of one young man and one young lady to compete in the Dragon Games. But first, I thought you would enjoy a short film rather than hearing me read the Treaty." With that, the screens went black before different semi-still images appeared as the annoying, pompous, skin-crawling voice of President Freeza told the story of how the Great War started between the Capital and the Regions, how the Capital won, how the Treaty was made, and why the Games were held.

Vegeta tuned it out, he'd heard it plenty of times before and he did not want to have to listen to that slimy lizard's voice; so instead, he thought about how he would kill him. By the time the video ended, Vegeta had imagined fifteen different ways to kill Freeza. "Now that part's over, on to better things!" Krillin said, regaining the crowds' attention, "Let's see which lucky young lady will be competing in the 74th annual Dragon Games." The crowd got a small chuckle as Krillin had to fetch a chair to stand on to be able to reach for a name. Plucking one off the top, Krillin hurried back to the mic like the anticipation was killing him. Clearing his throat, Krillin spoke plainly, "Bulma Briefs."

Suddenly, Vegeta's world fell out from under his feet. _Nonononononono…_ was all he could think as he helplessly watched her step out from the group of girls across from him. Bulma looked beautiful, even Vegeta would've admitted it, in an aqua dress that hugged her womanly curves just right and her blue hair was braided back in such an intricate design that only Panchy Briefs was capable of. Her brilliant blue eyes shone with tears but Bulma would not let them fall even as she made her way onto the stage. "What a pretty pin." Krillin noted, to which Bulma replied, her voice soft, "Thank you. My best friend gave it to me." "Well, you're a beautiful young lady and I wish you very the best of luck." Krillin held her hand for a brief moment before addressing the crowd again, "And now for the boys."

Seeing his mother's pin had snapped Vegeta out of his thoughts and he spoke without thinking, "I volunteer!" Those around him knew who it was that shouted those words but Krillin could not tell from where he was on stage. In fact, only one person on that stage knew who's voice it was as a single tear slide down her face. "I volunteer!" Vegeta bellowed again as he marched towards the stage. A murmur rippled through the crowd, there had never been a volunteer in Region 12 in the history of the Games. Everyone born there grows up thinking of the Games as a death sentence. Surprised at this turn of events, Krillin motioned for the Freeza Force guards to let the determined young man on the stage. "My, you know how to make waves, don't you? What's your name, kid?" "Vegeta Saiyan." He growled, standing ram-rod straight and oozing power through his stance.

Krillin pressed onward with his memorized script, "Let's have a round of applause for Region 12's Competitors in the 74th annual Dragon Games!" But the crowd did not applause. Instead, they all held a fist to their chest, raised the fist above their heads, and opened it spreading out all five fingers. The symbolic gesture was lost to all of Ee-arth but Vegeta. The last time he saw it, his Dad had done that same gesture at his mother's funeral. The whole population of Region 12 was telling the Prince of all Saiyans 'goodbye.' _They are my people._ Vegeta thought as Krillin elbowed him to get his attention. "_Shake hands._" The Escort whispered, gesturing between the two teens. Bulma hesitantly held her hand out, looking at the ground, she knew she had little chance of winning. Firmly taking her hand, Vegeta squeezed it, letting his glare take a softer edge as she locked eyes with him. _A Prince never breaks his word._ With the show over, they were quickly ushered inside the Justice Building to say goodbye to their families.

* * *

Vegeta glared out the second-story window, wondering, _Why did I do this to myself. I can take on a Career by myself. Maybe two. But if Regions 1,2, and 4 team up as usual I won't stand a chance._ "And neither will Bulma." Just then, the door behind him opened as a Freeza Force lackey let Nappa in to speak with his charge. The bald man wasn't expecting a hug or any show of affection from the teen and Vegeta always met his expectations. Soon, Nappa hoped he would exceed them. "Did you bring it?" Vegeta queried, not moving from his position. Setting the bag down, Nappa cleared his throat, "Yeah. They almost didn't let me keep it until I told them it was your token. And even then, Ginyu still had to yell at them to stop those nosy mooks from looking in the bag." As Nappa got up to leave, the statue finally moved. Before Nappa could blink, Vegeta's arms wrapped around him a very tight bear hug. They stood there in silence, Vegeta's face against Nappa's chest while Nappa simply patted the teen's coarse, black hair. The silence held all the words they needed to say but couldn't.

Someone knocking on the door broke the spell and Vegeta was back at the window like he had never moved. Before he left, Nappa said over his shoulder, "Fight hard. I know you can win. I'll be watching you, my Prince." Vegeta thought he would be in this room alone until it was time to get on the train. But he had another visitor.

Dr. Briefs entered the room, unsure how the teen would react since he had seen Vegeta's blow-ups first-hand. "Why are you here old man?" This time Vegeta turned and leaned against the windowsill to glare at his unexpected guest. Sitting down heavily in a chair opposite Vegeta, Hank took his glasses off and ran a hand over his face to remove the last traces of his tears, "I came to thank you. I know you'll do your best to watch over my Bulma. But I do have one favor to ask of you." Vegeta waited for him to continue and when he didn't, the teen snapped, "Well, spit it out! I haven't got all day!" Deeply sighing, Dr. Briefs did as he was asked, "If it comes to it, will you make sure Bulma has a quick death? I don't want my little inventor to suffer, her mother won't be able to take it." Vegeta ground his teeth together, shaking his head violently, "I won't kill her. She's the reason I'm here. I'm as good as dead now, there's no way the President will let me win. But I can make sure Bulma does." "Thank you, my boy. You would've made a great king one day. I know you've made your father proud today. Good luck, Prince Vegeta; and keep my little girl safe." With that, Dr. Briefs left Vegeta to his silence.


	7. Chapter 7

7

_From here on out, the bag stays with me._ Vegeta thought as a car drove him, Bulma, and their Escort to the Train Station. One look at Bulma's face was all Vegeta needed to know that she had been crying, so he snatched the white and black handkerchief from Krillin's orange suit jacket and tossed it at her. "Here, Woman. There will be cameras at the Station and you don't want to look weak in front of the whole country, so you better clean your ugly face." Vegeta was hoping for a reaction and, oh boy, did he get one. It took everything Krillin had to stop Bulma from straight-up attacking Vegeta. "Calm down, young lady. Once we're on the train you can have at him all you want but _please_ play nice for the cameras. I'd rather not be the laughing stock who couldn't keep his Competitors from killing each other before the Games even started." The short bald man lamented as they arrived at the Train Station. "Fine." They both huffed, crossing their arms across their chests, and turned their heads away from each other.

They managed to get from the car to the train without an incident, which Krillin appreciated, but once the door closed, their battle began anew. Bulma screeched at Vegeta as he walked away, intending to look for his room. Unfortunately, Bulma didn't get the message and followed him into the room he had claimed as his for the rest of the trip. Vegeta dropped his bag and whorled around, pinning her to the closed door with his body, an arm on either side of her head. "Will you _shut_ _up_ for two seconds? I said that so you wouldn't appear too weak." "Weak to who? You? My parents?" Bulma shot back, still fuming about his 'ugly' commit. Leaning back, dark eyes locked onto blue ones as he spoke, his voice low, "To the Supporters. And our Competition." With that, he pushed off the door and smirked at his friend before pushing the button to open the door. Vegeta's laugh was rich and deep as Bulma glared up at him from the floor outside the door. "I thought you were a genius." He grinned as the door slid shut.

* * *

A few hours later, Vegeta ventured into the dining car looking for supper. He had spent his alone time seeing who the Competition was. Really the only two he was worried about were the cousins Zarbon Freriches and Dodoria Sardinha, the rest looked like they would be easy. _Of course, She'd be here._ Vegeta sneered as he passed Bulma on his way to the buffet, piling a plate full of food. Just as Vegeta sat down with his plate, Piccolo stumbled in and snatched Vegeta's plate before the hungry teen could even take a bite. "Hey!" Vegeta growled, shooting out of his chair so fast it tumbled backwards. "Careful! This set if mahogany!" Krillin cried but it fell on deaf ears as Vegeta was more focused on his food. Piccolo didn't care who's food it was, all he knew was that he was hungry and it was there, "You'll have to be faster than that if you want to eat in the Arena." Knowing that there was going to be a fight, Bulma spoke up, "Here Vegeta, I'm full anyway." She slid her half-eaten plate over, hoping that it would appease him; and it did. Roughly setting the chair upright, Vegeta sank into it as he began devouring the food.

"Just so you know Mr. Piccolo, it's not a good idea to get between this Saiyan and his food. You're lucky he's too hungry to fight right now." Bulma said, earning her a glare from Vegeta. Shaking her head at his stubbornness, she pressed on, "Since you won the 50th Games, I assume that you're our Sensei, correct?" Piccolo nodded his head as he continued to stuff his face, "I am." The man reached into his pocket, pulled out a flask, and started to pour it into a cup of coffee. Vegeta had tried the dark drink before and found that he didn't care for the bitterness of it but Bulma liked it if he remembered correctly. As soon as the lid came off the flask, the smell of alcohol hit Vegeta's nose. He hated drunks after one tried, unsuccessfully, of course, to mess with Bulma a couple of years ago.

Grabbing the hand holding the metal container, Vegeta squeezed hard as he bit out, "If you're going to be _my_ Bulma's Sensei, you're going to do it sober or not at all." Simply smirking at the teen's audacity and possessiveness, Piccolo drawled, "Let go of my hand _boy_, before I knock you on your tail." Once Vegeta obeyed, he continued, "You don't give me orders, I give you orders. Because when you're in that Arena, I might be the only person standing between you and certain death." "And just how can you do that if your drunk?" Bulma interjected. They had him cornered and they knew it, so Piccolo relented for now, "Ok. How about this? I won't drink as much and in return, you two follow my advice. Does that sound like a fair deal?" Bulma nodded. Vegeta grunted as he got up to get more food. _If he gets drunk again, I'm gonna punch him in his scruffy face._

The rest of the train ride was spent talking strategy, eating, sleeping, or in Vegeta's case, training as much as the space in his room would allow him. As expected, there were throngs of people at the Capital Station hoping for a glimpse of the contestants before the Parade that evening. Bulma smiled and waved at the crowd, she understood how to connect with people better than Vegeta. And he knew it. So he simply stood beside her, looking like a surly bodyguard, _That's it Bulma. Win them over. That way you'll survive._


	8. Chapter 8

8

Krillin ushered them into a car that took them to a rather plain building for the Capital. It was all dark-colored glass with the gray steel framework easily seen. This building was where the Competitors would be dolled up for the Parade; each Competitor had their own personal Designer. Vegeta and Bulma were separated, much to both teen's dismay, but they were quickly distracted by a team of people who came to prep them before they met with their Designers.

As Vegeta entered a room he was led to by his prep team, he noticed Bulma was already there, dressed in a black robe like he himself was wearing, staring out the huge window that was used as a wall. Vegeta cleared his throat to alert her to his presence, Bulma jumped slightly as she turned to see who was with her. She smiled at him before looking back out the window, "It's just like I remembered. We used to live in that building, the whole thing. The top floors were the living quarters and the rest of it was where my Dad would invent stuff or fix things for the President." Vegeta followed her gaze to the yellow building a couple of city blocks away, then he searched for his old home. "There. Do you see the building with the silver flag hanging from it?" He pointed to it on the window, Bulma squinted her eyes and nodded. "That's where I used to live. We had the top floor cause Mom loved gardens and flowers…"

Before Bulma could say anything, it probably would've just made Vegeta mad anyway, two people entered the room. One was a woman with pixie-cut black hair that had bright pink and purple tips, and she was dressed in black pants paired with a black shirt. The other was a man with platinum blond hair and goatee, the ends of his hair and tip of his beard were dyed neon green and purple, and he was dressed in a dark purple shirt with a white neckline and pure white pants. "Hello, you two must be Vegeta Saiyan and Bulma Briefs. My name is Selypa Fasha and my companion here is Nail Guruson. We're your Designers. Come, sit down and eat lunch with us." Selypa clapped her hands and servants came out of another door carrying nearly any kind of food you could imagine.

The two Designers stared in disbelief how just how much Vegeta could eat, Bulma sat her plate down next to him knowing he would finish off what little food she couldn't eat. Once everyone, namely Vegeta, had eaten their fill, Selypa leaned back on the couch and studied the two teens. After a minute or two under her calculating gaze, Vegeta growled, "What? Are you trying to figure out how to talk?" "I was thinking about whether I wanted to get your measurements now or later." Selypa stated, unfazed by Vegeta's brashness, "I think later would be better. Tell us a bit about yourselves. I've already got a basic design for both of you but I want it to represent each of you in some way, even if it's small."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "I'm Vegeta Saiyan. That's all you need to know." Bulma smacked him upside the head, "Forgive my friend, he's not used to talking about himself. I like inventing things just like my Dad." That cause a spark of recognition for the Designers. "You are the son of Vegeta Saiyan. That makes you Prince Vegeta. Selypa can work with that. And you are the daughter of Dr. Hank Briefs, a rather famous man even in his exile. Good, I can come up with something." Nail said, his words rushed but his tone even, almost sounding bored. Nodding at her companion, Selypa stood up, "I think we have enough to finish the costumes. Stand up and take off your robes, we need to measure you."

Bulma blushed and snuggled against Vegeta's side to hide her face. "What's wrong, Woman?" Vegeta whispered harshly to her. "I don't have anything on underneath." She squeaked, clutching both her robe and Vegeta tighter. Sighing, Vegeta pushed her off and stood up, offering Bulma a hand to help her rise. "I won't look if that's what you're worried about." He chuckled gently, _My Dad taught me better than that._ Suspiciously eyeing the other two in the room, Bulma sighed, "_Ok_." She turned away from Vegeta and allowed the robe to slip from her shoulders. As Nail had her take a couple steps forward so he could move around her as necessary, Vegeta picked up Bulma's robe and held it in such a way that all he could see of her naked body was the back of her head. Vegeta couldn't stop the growls escaping him as Nail circled _his_ Woman. _Wait. Since when is she mine? Not that it matters anymore since I'll be dead in a couple of weeks. But… it could be a useful strategy._

After Bulma slide back into her robe, it was Vegeta's turn. He stepped around her to the place she had stood and removed his black silk robe. Selypa had him step forward as well and it took all of his self-control to not do more than bare his teeth to show his discomfort. Thankfully, it was over fast and he was allowed to cover up again. "Your prep teams will be back to fetch you two in a few minutes. You'll be with them for another couple of hours while we finish up on your costumes and then we'll get you ready for the show." Selypa explained as she and Nail walked out.

Surprisingly, Vegeta felt Bulma against his chest. Vegeta decided to awkwardly put an arm around the blue-haired teen, murmuring into her hair, "What's wrong, Bulma?" "Did you look?" she squeaked, pressing against him as tight as humanly possible. "No." He chuckled deep in his chest, adding, "Did you?" Shaking her head, Bulma pulled back to look at his face, "Nope." All Vegeta could focus on was her face, her skin as pale as porcelain, her eyes as blue as the noonday sky, her lips as red as a wild strawberry. They were mere inches away from each other when the door opened and the moment passed.


	9. Chapter 9

9

A few hours later, Vegeta was led to another room where Selypa was waiting with his costume. It was a black, full-body spandex suit and upon closer inspection, one would notice the scale-like design that could be seen from a distance if the light hit the suit just right. Having no time to waste since the Parade started right at dusk, which was about an hour away, Selypa quickly ordered Vegeta to put it on. After checking to make sure she didn't need to make any last-minute adjustments, Selypa went over to a shelf and grabbed a briefcase, "Ok. Let's go to the chariots, I can do the last little bit there."

When they got to the giant garage-like stable, Vegeta noticed that all the horses were already hitched up to their chariot. Each Region had a pair of horses to pull the competitors down the path; however, no reigns were needed since the horses had the Parade route memorized. The first four Regions were favored by the Capital so their horses were white and each Region after them got progressively darker colored horses, meaning that Region 12's were black as night.

Bulma and Nail were already at their chariot, petting the horses to pass the time. "_Wow_, you look…" Vegeta couldn't make himself complement her, so Bulma tried to finish it for him, "Nice?" "Passable." Vegeta snorted, _Why am I making this harder on me? If I want this to work I'm going to need her help._ "Well, same to you, mister." Bulma shot back angrily. Selypa shushed them as she opened her briefcase, pulling out two twisted bands of barbwire. Carefully placing the bands on their heads, it was a bit of a struggle to get Vegeta's coarse, unruly hair to cooperate, Nail explained its meaning, "These are to represent what you both have gone through in your time in the Region and the fact that you are both royalty in your own way. Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyan people, and Bulma, daughter of the greatest inventor in all of Ee-arth."

Time was nearly up, the Parade was starting any minute. Selypa had them get in position as she handed Nail one of the two lighters she had, "Now, this is something that I came up with from seeing one of your father's inventions. The flame is completely safe. Our whole job is to make you two stand out so you get the best chance at surviving. Good luck." With that, the Designers touched the lighters to the bottom of their suits and flames shot up along the back of the suits. Vegeta and Bulma could barely hear or feel the fire on their backs but they didn't have time to think about it before the horses started moving out into the street.

They heard the din of the crowd as their chariot got closer to the exit. But Vegeta and Bulma could not have prepared themselves for the reaction they received when the crowd saw them on fire. Smiling at the crowd, Bulma waved like she'd been doing this her whole life. Barely catching a glimpse of them as they passed a screen, Vegeta's eyes widen slightly before he smirked. With the fire trailing behind them, Vegeta and Bulma looked like warriors; her makeup played on her beauty while his made him look even more menacing than usual. _Well done, Selypa. But now is the best time to start laying the foundations for my plans._ Vegeta startled Bulma as he grasped her hand, but her surprise turned to a questioning gaze as he lifted it to his lips and gently kissed the back of her knuckles. Then, without letting go, he intertwined their fingers and raised their interlocked hands above their heads. The crowd loved it.

Vegeta would not smile or wave to the crowd of possible supporters and kept his patent scowl in place. However, he did allow for some half-smiles to be directed at Bulma; even though she only saw one or two. Someone in the crowd threw a blue rose to them and Vegeta caught it, smelling it before gifting the flower to the Woman beside him. The horses stopped in a large circular courtyard with a balcony in front of them on the second story. President Freeza stood up to address the teenagers before him. His hair was platinum white with faded purple streaks running through it. The sickeningly bright purple and light gray suit was almost more nauseating than his voice.

"Hello and welcome, Competitors." Freeza opened his speech in his usual high-pitched, whiny voice. _He sounds like someone in denial._ Vegeta fought a smirk as the man who murdered his father prattled on. "I'd like to personally welcome you to the Capital and congratulate each and every one of you for being in the 74th annual Dragon Games. Remember to be brave, fight hard, and die with honor. I wish you the best of luck, Competitors!" As he finished his little speech, Freeza thrust his fist above his head and opened his palm. The Saiyan Salute was his way of letting Vegeta know that he remembered him.

With the speech over, the horses moved into the Training Center since the Parade was finished. By the time Vegeta and Bulma had stepped down on the floor their fire was out. "Huh. It must have burned all the fuel they put on the fabric. But how did they keep it from seeping through the clothes to us?" Bulma mused as their Designers, Sensei, and Escort joined them. As the adults congratulated the teens, Vegeta noticed the boy from Region 2 eyeing Bulma before flicking his gaze to Vegeta and sneered at him. Piccolo saw Vegeta's scowl deepen and who it was aimed at, so he suggested, "Let's move this party upstairs before a fight brakes out."

The group from Region 12 and their support team got in the elevator and practically flew up to the 12th floor of the Training Center. "And here we are!" Krillin announced as they exited the glass transportation room, "Each Region gets a floor based on their number and since you're from 12, you get the penthouse." The place was massive, the living room and raised dining area was the same square footage of Vegeta's whole house; top and bottom floors combined.

Since dinner was already laid out on the table, the group sat down to have a late supper with the rerun of the Parade playing on the 100-inch flat-screen television taking up one whole wall in the living room. Vegeta couldn't help his stomach's growl or his drool as he stared at the spread of food that lay before him. Garlic roasted lamb chops, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, bacon-wrapped asparagus, cedar-grilled salmon, three different kinds of rolls, and chocolate cake for dessert. Plus all the different drinks: water, sweet tea, unsweet tea, hot teas, hot coffee, iced coffee, and hot chocolate. Not mention the decanters of alcohol sitting pretty on a small table off to the side.

As the adults sat and chattered, Vegeta tucked into his plate piled high with at least two helpings of everything while Bulma picked at her vegetables. "What did you think, Bulma?" Selypa asked, drawing Bulma out of her thoughts, "Huh? Think about what?" Chuckling at her spaced-out look, Nail sipped his water, "Your costume, silly. The flame effect was pretty cool, right?" "Yeah." Bulma nodded absentmindedly, wondering, "How did you do that anyway? I've never seen anything like that; that wouldn't seep through the fabric and burn the wearer anyway." "I actually got in touch with your father and requested him to come up with a fabric that we could set on fire and still be safe for a person to wear. And that," Selypa gestured at the teens, "is what the infamous Dr. Briefs came up with."

Cutting the cake, Piccolo fixed himself a piece as he addressed his students, "Tomorrow, you two will start training in the gym downstairs. The rest of your Competitors will be there as well. Is there anything special about you two that I don't know?" "Why do you need to know that?" Vegeta questioned, still not trusting the alcoholic. "Because how can I do my job if I don't even know what you're capable of?" The blond man shot back. Bulma spoke up quickly, "Vegeta can hunt. He always killed the animals he brought in with either a headshot through the eye or through the heart."

Hating that she was selling herself short, Vegeta declared, "Well, Bulma's smart. She made a pair of binoculars that can see the heat a person gives off when she was five." Bulma started to open her mouth but Vegeta didn't let her speak, "And they work. If that was what you were going to ask." Bulma was astonished, "But how do you know?" "A Prince never breaks his word." Vegeta answered cryptically, to everyone in the room but the blushing blue-haired teen. Of course, Bulma remembered the day he first said that; she had shared a cinnamon roll with him outside the Senzu Bakery ran by a man named Korin Senzu and his nephew Yajirobe Mask. "What do you mean by that?" Piccolo questioned, not missing Bulma's blush or the far-away look on her face. Growling in frustration, Vegeta snapped back, "It's of no concern to you or anyone else but _Her_." Gruffly pushing his nearly empty plate away, Vegeta excused himself, "I'm going to bed." "But you haven't had dessert yet!" Krillin cried, causing the teen to call over his shoulder, "Give it to the Woman. She doesn't eat enough as it is." And with that last remark, he disappeared down the hall to his room.

Vegeta stood outside his door and glanced down the hall, spying a set of stairs at the end of the hall. _I wonder where that goes? It has to lead to the roof._ Curiosity getting the better of him, Vegeta walked up the steps and opened the door at the top. He was right, it did lead to the roof. And to his delight there was a rather large flower garden, it even had a few dwarf fruit trees. As Vegeta listened to the tinkling wind chimes hanging from the tree branches, he leaned against the waist-high stone wall acting as a type of railing to keep people from accidentally falling off the roof. _But how do they keep Competitors from jumping?_ He reached his hand out about a foot past the wall and felt something solid for a quick second before his hand was pushed back at him with force and it felt like he had been stung by a bee. "Agh! So that's how." Looking up at the inky black sky, Vegeta strained to see a constellation or even a single star. But when he couldn't because of the bright lights of the Capital, he scowled and stomped back to his room, determined to get a small workout in before bed.


	10. Chapter 10

10

Breakfast the next morning was fairly quiet and subdued until it was time for Vegeta and Bulma to go down to training. Piccolo spoke as he walked them to the elevator, "Don't show off. You'll want something special to show the Judges at the end of the week. And stay close to each other. I want you two to stick together until I tell you otherwise. I know that ya'll aren't supposed to fight with the others until the Arena, but that rule doesn't always stop Competitors from trying to make their opponents an easy target. Or easier in your case, Blue." Bulma nodded as she stepped into the elevator and as Vegeta moved to follow her, Piccolo grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear, "I've got a good idea on your plan. You better be a _really_ _great_ actor, so pay attention to her." Grunting as he jerked his arm away, Vegeta glared at their Sensei until the doors blocked him from view.

_There's no way he knows. Not yet anyway. But he's right. If this is going to work I'm going to need to… _play_ Her._ Vegeta scowled to himself, _As much as I hate to admit it; if she knew the plan she might not let me die so she can win. She'll have to be kept in the dark 'til the last possible moment and I'll have to bring the Drunk in on it so he can help us in the Arena._ Vegeta jumped slightly when Bulma put her hand on his arm, "Are you alright? If you're upset about Piccolo telling us to stay together then we don't have to listen to him. I'm sure I'll be ok on my own." "No." Vegeta growled, "Not with the way that Zarbon from Region 2 was looking at you last night. It'll be best if we stick together. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to train without showing what I can do." Her eyebrows furled at that, "Wouldn't the simplest way be to avoid anything archery related?" Glancing at her out of the corner of his inky black eye, he smirked, "I know more than just how to shoot, Woman." With that he stepped out of the elevator, not looking to see if Bulma had followed but still knowing that she was.

Around the huge, cavernous-like room there were different stations scattered around the outer edge of the room. In the middle were training obstacle courses to test and improve one's strength, speed, and flexibility. On one side there was a railing and a plush-looking lounge area with a buffet table along the back wall for a bunch of men, some old and some young but they were all unmistakably Capitalists. Vegeta eyed the archery station and the obstacle courses approvingly but his usual scowl kept in place, _It's a crying shame I'll never get to truly use those. Or show these losers what a true Saiyan warrior can do._

Bulma pulled a reluctant Vegeta towards the group of competitors standing around a platform in the middle of the room. The woman on the platform noticed them coming towards the rest of the group, "Finally. Now that 12's Competitors are here, we can get started. My name is Maron and my job is to prepare you for the Arena." Maron had blue hair, similar to Bulma's, but it was obviously a dye-job since her blond roots were beginning to show. She was fit and used to fighting and training, seeing as this was not her first year as Training Instructor.

"Now pay attention to what I'm about to tell you, it might just save your life." Maron continued in a solemn, bubbly voice, "In two weeks, 23 of you will be dead. One of you will be the Winner. Want some advice? Don't ignore the survival skill stations. I know everyone wants to grab a weapon, but the Arena may kill you before you can use it. In the past, 10 percent of Competitors have died from infection, another 20 percent die from dehydration. Exposure can kill you just as easily as a knife. And finally, there is to be NO fighting with the other Competitors. Save that for the Arena. At the end of these four days you will go before the Judges," Maron gestured towards to lounge, "one at a time and you will get to showcase a special skill you've learned to them. Remember, the more impressed they are the high your score will be and a better shot at Supporters. Good luck and remember to have fun!" Maron quickly hopped off the platform because she knew that the Competitors from Region 2 usually liked to start on the sparing platform to intimidate the others.

Just like Maron expected, Zarbon, the boy from Region 2, jumped onto the platform where a trainer in a padded bodysuit was waiting to spar with whoever wanted to fight. Vegeta watched as Zarbon traded blows with the trainer, the poor trainer taking more hits than he was giving because of the padding. _He's _definitely_ going to be a problem._ Vegeta mused as he followed Bulma to the campfire station. It annoyed him that even the instructor assigned to this station didn't know how to build a proper fire or any other way to light one without a match, so Vegeta set about teaching Bulma the best way to place the wood, the different types of materials that can be used as kindling, and how to start it with both flint and friction. Once Vegeta was sure that she could light a fire even in the rain, they moved on to the snare station. Even Vegeta knew that he would need to know this skill; especially if he didn't get a bow.

* * *

The two teens moved around the different stations and courses throughout the four days they could train, specifically avoiding anything that remotely had to do with archery, strength, or inventiveness. Although they kept returning to the camouflage station because of Bulma's persuasiveness. And she was actually really good at it too. On the last day of training before the Judging, Vegeta found her at the camo station again.

"Why are you back here, Woman? Shouldn't you be spending your time learning something that will _actually_ be of use?" He scowled at his blue-haired companion while she was bent over a table doing something to her arm. "This _could_ be useful, Vegeta. See?" Bulma snapped back as she stood up and walked over to a tree a few feet away, placing her arm against it. Vegeta thought he must have blinked because one moment Bulma's arm was there and the next it wasn't. Staring wide-eyed at her, he stammered, "Wha… I… Wh… How?" _How did you get so good, so fast?_

Coyly smiling at his shock, Bulma shrugged, "It's not too much different than inventing. And I always did kind of liked painting when we did it in school. Think of it as painting and inventing got married and had a baby and named it Camouflage; that's what I do." Just then Vegeta felt unfriendly eyes on him, he turned to see Zarbon and Dodoria glaring at him and Bulma.

Vegeta had subtly watched his two biggest threats the whole time during training. He knew that Zarbon had not only brute strength and size going for him, but he was also adept at almost any weapon, especially swords. And while Dodoria looked like she would be slow, she was rather fast despite her wider than-most-girth, and very accurate when throwing knives; even if they were not balanced correctly for throwing.

Grabbing Bulma's non-camouflaged hand, Vegeta practically dragged her to the elevator. As they were waiting for their ride back to their floor, a bubbly voice called out, "And where do you two think you're going?" Unsuccessfully trying to yank her arm free, Bulma questioned, "Where _are_ we going, Vegeta?" Vegeta kept his tight grip on Bulma as he turned to answer Maron, "It's the last day of training if you can even call this training, and I'm not going to be the one to break the rules. So it's either let us leave early or risk three Competitors fighting before the Game." Well, that shut the Training Instructor up and just then the elevator arrived, Vegeta quickly jerked Bulma inside with him and punched their floor number with his fist.

Finally releasing his constricting hold on her wrist, Vegeta crossed his arms and scowled. He didn't have to wait long for Bulma to start asking questions. "Why did you make me leave?" "Because if those two from 2 were going to fight me, I wasn't about to lose. But I would've been hurt and then I wouldn't've been able to protect you. Plus, I would have had to show everyone that I know how to fight." He shrugged, not sure why she would ask such a dumb question.

"But why did you make _me_ leave?" She pressed again. Vegeta slammed his fist against the metal doors and growled, "You were the reason we were about to fight! Don't tell me you weren't paying attention! Zarbon has been eyeing you like a cut of prime meat since the Parade!" Bulma shrank back even though she knew he would never hurt her, mumbling at the floor, "I hadn't noticed." Taking a deep breath to calm down, Vegeta ground out as the doors opened, "Of course not."

* * *

Vegeta avoided Bulma the rest of the day, spending it either training in his room or up in the rooftop garden. But as they sat next to each other in the hallway the next day, awaiting their turn to show their skill to the Judges, Vegeta found that he could ignore her no longer. When the boy from Region 11 left, Vegeta knew it would be fifteen minutes before he would have the quiet he needed to get ready.

"Why have you been avoiding me, Vegeta? Was it something I said? Or did?" Bulma inquired. _Man, am I glad you're not a mind reader._ Vegeta sighed, "You haven't done anything, Woman. I needed to have some peace and quiet before I blew up and hurt someone." He paused for a moment before shaking his head and continued, "When you get done, wait for me by my door. There's something I want to show you." Bulma nodded, "Ok." An electronic voice called out, "Bulma Briefs." Slowly standing, Bulma started towards the door at the end of the hall. "Bulma." Vegeta called out, causing her to turn and look at him, "Knock 'em dead. Show them what a Briefs can do." Smiling at him, Bulma nodded and walked through the door with a confidence only she could possess; because she was Bulma Briefs.

* * *

"Vegeta Saiyan." _Now's my time to shine. I'll just stick to the bow. No need for them to know _everything_ I can do._ Vegeta sauntered through the door like he owned the place, as he should; he _is_ the Prince of All Saiyans after all. Barely sparing the Judges a passing glance, he noticed that the Game Master was there today. But they were of no consequence. Vegeta's goal was the metallic royal blue bow in the center of the room. Picking it up, he nocked an arrow with practiced ease, pulled the arrow back, took aim, and fired.

There were mumbled words from the Judges but Vegeta couldn't hear them as he stared, mouth agape, at the arrow… that was nowhere near the center of the target. _NO! How did I miss? I _never_ miss!_ He shot another arrow and this time he hit his mark. Smirking proudly, Vegeta gazed up at the Judges lounge and saw that they had missed his perfect shot. They were more interested in the roasted pig that had just be brought to the buffet table. _If they're so interested in that stupid pig... then I'll just have to show them how much better I am then some dead, stuffed pig!_

Unable to control himself, Vegeta unleashed one last arrow. Straight at the apple in the dead pig's mouth. All the Judges jumped back, exclaiming in shock at the arrow pinning the shiny red apple to the wall. Now that he finally had their undivided attention, Vegeta stood tall, proclaiming, "I am the Prince of all Saiyans! And I will not be ignored! Especially in favor of a dead pig!" With his peace said, Vegeta stalked out, slinging the bow to the ground as he went. The green-haired man with pale skin and clean-shaven face smiled at the teen as he left. This would be a very good Game indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

11

Bulma was waiting outside his door just like he told her to. Grunting as he passed her, Vegeta kept walking down the hall. Closely following him, Bulma hesitated as she watched him start up the stairs. "Are we even allowed to go up there?" She wondered. Vegeta sighed inwardly and held out a hand, a soft smile gracing his lips, "Do you trust me?" Clear blue eyes stared into inky black orbs as she took his hand, replying, "Yes."

Gently leading her onto the roof, Vegeta noticed how soft her small hand was compared to his rough, calloused one. He glanced at her fair face out of the corner of his eye as he showed her the roof top garden. Bulma's face lit up as she grinned ear to ear, "I can't believe you kept this a secret from me this whole time, ya jerk." "Well, I needed a place to get away from your screeching, now didn't I?" Vegeta joked, earning him a playful punch to the shoulder. "I'm not that bad. Am I?" Bulma looked away, her voice giving away the fact that she may be on the verge of tears. "Insufferable. But I wouldn't have you any other way, Woman." Vegeta stated as he showed her the hidden spot he had found amongst the trees.

* * *

The pair stayed on the roof for the whole rest of the day, talking like they hadn't seen each other in years. No subject was off-limits; well, except Vegeta's mother, he still was not quite ready to share those memories yet. It was getting close to dinner time when Bulma rolled over on her side, she and Vegeta had laid down on the soft grass hours earlier, and asked, "What's your favorite song?"

Vegeta was silent for so long she almost thought he hadn't heard her, but then he said, "The Tree's Lullaby. It's the one song I can remember my Mom singing to me." Snuggling closer, Bulma decided to push her luck, "I've never heard of it. Can you sing it for me?" Coughing to disguise his shock at her closeness, Vegeta cleared his throat, "Keep in mind, I'm not much of a singer." He closed his eyes and let his gravelly timbre voice carry the soft tune his mother once crooned to him.

_Deep in the forest_

_ Under the branches_

_ A bed of grass_

_ A soft green pillow_

_ Lay down your head_

_ Now close your eyes_

_ And when you awake_

_ The sun will rise_

_ Here it's safe_

_ Here it's cool_

_ Here the birds keep_

_ You from every harm_

_ Here your dreams are sweet_

_ And tomorrow may bring them true_

_ This is the place where I love you_

_ Deep in the forest_

_ Hidden from every eye_

_ A veil of leaves_

_ A moonbeam ray_

_ Forget your miseries_

_ And lay your troubles down_

_ And when morning comes_

_ They'll all wash away_

_ Here it's safe_

_ Here it's cool_

_ Here the birds keep_

_ You from every harm_

_ Here your dreams are sweet_

_ And tomorrow may bring them true_

_ This is the place where I love you_

As the last note was snatched away by the wind, Vegeta stood up. "I'm going to train. See you at supper." Leaving Bulma alone on the roof, Vegeta hurried to his room. _Agh! I'm such an idiot! Why did I have to fall for Her? Why has it taken these feelings until now to show up? Focus. I need to focus. And train. I can see what the Drunk thinks of my plan tomorrow since the Interviews are in 24 hours._ Quietly moving through his kata's, he trained until his black shirt was drenched with sweat. Vegeta peeled off the offending article of clothing just as someone knocked on his door.

"What?" He growled as he opened the door, where Bulma still had her hand raised to knock again. She stared at his muscular chest, watching as a bead of sweat rolled from his collarbone down his chest, over his six-pack, and she finally found the strength to lift her eyes to his face when the bead disappeared from sight near his waistband. Vegeta couldn't help, nor did he try to stop, the knowing smirk on his lips that reached all the way to his eyes, "See something you like, Woman?" Huffing with indignation, Bulma turned her nose up at him, but her blush told the truth, "It's dinner time." "Ok. I'm going to shower. I'll be there in five, but you don't have to wait on me." Vegeta said before closing the door and hurrying to his bathroom.

* * *

To Vegeta's surprise, Nail and Selypa had joined them for dinner again and were in animated conversation with Krillin over his love life. "So, I hear that you are getting going to the Interviews with the Training Instructor. Is that true?" Selypa grinned behind the rim of her wine glass. Krillin's face turned bright red as he stammered, "Well, yeah… If I didn't have to be behind the scenes. Cause… see… I haven't really told her my name. Maron thinks my name is Juan Sanchez." Bulma looked up from her plate, "And why didn't you just tell her your _real_ name?" "Because Baldy a sissy when it comes to women." Vegeta interjected as he sat down to eat. Slapping his shoulder, Bulma scolded, "Vegeta! But… Blue hair? Real original. Anyway, you should tell her the truth. If she still wants to date you afterwards then she must truly want to get to know you." "Ok. I'll do that Bulma." Krillin nodded, "After the Game. So that way I'm not the Escort to Region 12 anymore." Nail glanced at his watch, announcing, "Oh, the Scores will be on in few minutes. Shall we move into the living room?"

Vegeta dropped any pretense of manners, caring more about getting the food into his mouth then the looks the others were giving him so that he could join them in front of the T.V. The adults all had a glass of alcohol; Piccolo nursed his half-glass of whiskey and Krillin was drinking a Kamehameha, while Selypa and Nail topped off their red wine. Just as the show was starting, Vegeta plopped down next to Bulma on the sofa. On the screen the announcer, Jimmy Firecracker, appeared. In respect to his name, Jimmy's hair was mostly its natural brown with the tips dyed a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows, and he was dressed in a neon orange suit with blue suede shoes, a firework-patterned tie around his neck and his trademark wire-rim glasses.

"Hellllooo citizens of Ee-arth! Jimmy Firecracker here with this year's Game Master, Mr. Perfect Cell! Before I get to it and tell our viewers and Competitors what scores the Judges gave them after watching the Competitors over four days of intense training, I have a question for you. Tell me, what do you think of this year's Competitors?" The green-haired man leaned into his microphone, "It will be an interesting Game for sure." Cell smirked, adding, "I have high hopes for this group, especially those from outlying Regions." As Cell leaned back, Jimmy took back over, "All righty folks, now on to what you've all been waiting for! The Scores! Keep in mind, these scores are nothing more than an estimation on how well the panel of Judges thinks each Competitor will do based on what they have seen over the past four days. As usual, we'll start at Region 1 and will go girl then boy: Cui Rainsford with an 8, Recoome Soskin with a score of 9. Region 2: Dodoria Sardinha with a score of 10, Zarbon Freriches with a score of 10. Region 3..."

Vegeta tuned the T.V. out as Jimmy Firecracker rambled on, although he did note that most scored between 5 and 7, putting them way down on the list for Supporters. Which would be good for him and Bulma as long as they didn't have such a low score. Vegeta shot out of his seat, causing Bulma to ask, "What's wrong, Vegeta?" "I'm such an idiot. During my showcase, the Judges weren't paying any attention to me as I shot; so I fired an arrow at that stupid roast pig they were so focused on." Laughing at the fiery teen, Piccolo motioned for him to sit down, "There's nothing that can be done about it now."

"But what are they going do to him?" Bulma queried, afraid of what might happen to Vegeta because of his temper. "Nothing." Piccolo shrugged, "It's too late to just up and replace him without an explanation and no one but the Judges know what our Saiyan Prince did. The worst that can happen is they'll make your life miserable in the Arena. I suggest you focus on hearing the scores of your Competitors so you'll have an idea of what you're going up against." Actually listening to the Drunk's advice, Vegeta fixed his eyes on the screen again.

Jimmy Firecracker never stopped reading the scores, "Region 11: Toriyama Bird with a score of 7, Sixteen Gero with a score of 10. And finally, Region 12: Bulma Briefs with a score of 8," There some small cheers at Bulma's score while Vegeta simply smiled, _Good job, Bulma._ But the room got deadly quiet as Jimmy started to announce Vegeta's score, "Vegeta Saiyan with a score of… Mr. Perfect Cell, am I reading this right?" "You are, indeed." The pale Game Master grinned. Clearing his throat, Jimmy restarted, "Vegeta Saiyan with a score of 11! You heard it here first folks, Vegeta Saiyan of Region 12 got an 11! It's unheard of!" Jimmy blathered on about the unusual score but no one in the room heard him considering that everyone was cheering in excitement.

_Eleven? Holy cow! I got an eleven!_ Vegeta stared at the number beside his scowling face on the screen. "Impressive. Even for the Prince of all Saiyans." Bulma commented snippily, upset that he had said nothing about her score. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Vegeta shot back, rising from the couch in barely contained rage. Coyly smiling up at his face, the hard angles twisted with anger, Bulma asked, "Why are you upset? All I did was compliment you on your score."

Seeing red, Vegeta furiously yelled, spit flying from his lips, "Because you are so infuriating! That's why! You're insufferable, Woman, always going on about your 'geniusness', how you're a Briefs, and rubbing the fact you have BOTH your parents IN. MY. FACE!" Breathing heavily, Vegeta forced himself to calm down, "If you really think you can survive on your own then so be it. Cause after tonight, I train alone." He stalked off to his room; the fact that Bulma was quietly following behind him did not go unnoticed.

Pausing in his doorway, Vegeta glanced over his shoulder, "What are you doing here, Woman?" Bulma opened her mouth to say something smart-alecky but nothing came to mind. "Humph, that's what I thought." Vegeta entered his room, and to Bulma's surprise, he left the door open. Reluctantly stepping inside, Bulma realized that she had never been in Vegeta's room before. She had never even been inside his _house_. As she glanced around, Bulma noticed the white chest plate with a red emblem near the left shoulder on top of the dresser. "That's the same symbol as my pin. What does it mean, Vegeta?" Vegeta sat on the edge of his bed with his elbows resting on his knees, his fists resting in front of his face, "It's the Saiyan Royal Crest. That pin I gave you was my Mother's. My Father gave it to her…" _the day he asked her to be his Mate._ "Now what are you doing in my room, Woman?"

Bulma didn't quite know why she followed the teen who's hairstyle matched his spirit, so she came up with something, "I'm sorry." Vegeta's face snapped up to look at her, "You're what?" "I'm sorry." Bulma repeated, explaining, "I'm sorry for acting like that. An eleven is nothing to sneeze at. But I was, and still am, upset that you didn't say anything about _my_ score, even though I got an 8." Sighing, Vegeta stood and walked over to the dresser, saying as he picked up the armor, "I smiled." "You smiled? I didn't see it." "And that's just it, Woman," Vegeta pulled the armor over his head and settled it on his shoulders, "you never notice anything. Unless I make it _so_ obvious that even Nappa can see it." _And this is one thing I _don't_ want him to know about. Although in 24 hours the whole country will know, so what will it matter?_

"Don't talk to me like I'm one of those bimbos from 12 who kept chasing after you. I saw the looks they gave you and the ones they gave me. I had to handle several of them myself, _without_ your help, and I did just fine." Bulma retorted, crossing her arms. "That's not what I meant and you know it." He sighed, shaking his head, "Tomorrow night is the Interviews, so we would've been trained for them separately anyway. What I had meant by 'I train alone' was that no one would see me except for meals and when I _have_ to be around people."

"But why? And how is that any different than normal for you?" Bulma still couldn't wrap her head around why he wanted to train so badly. "Because, Woman, I just spent the last _four days_ doing almost no training in the gym downstairs when I should have been using the area to my advantage. Instead, I've been reduced to training in my room without a sparring partner. That's why I've been so testy. I keep working out so much that I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow but I somehow still have so much energy that I can't seem to get rid of." At this point Vegeta's pacing around his room, running his hands through his course black hair while Bulma sits on the bed, "I'm nowhere near ready for this Game and it starts in two days."

Knowing what she had to do, Bulma rose up and got into a defensive stance. Vegeta stopped his pacing and raised an eyebrow at her, "What are you doing, Bulma?" "You said you needed a sparring partner, so here I am." She shrugged like it was the most sensible thing in the world. Pausing for only a moment, Vegeta removed his armor, "If we're going to fight, you're wearing this. They'll throw you in the Game whether your hurt or not, and the armor _should_ keep me from hurting you; too bad anyway." He helped her put the chest plate on and it fit ok, not quite the snug fit it was supposed to be but it'll do for right now. The friends squared up, Bulma with her shoulders hunched and fists raised about chin level. While Vegeta settled into a similar but more relaxed stance, a smirk settled on his handsome face.

Not wanting to waste her chance, Bulma leapt forward, swinging for Vegeta's head. Of course, he dodged the attack easily and followed with a kidney punch. Even holding back and the armor, Vegeta's hit nearly knocked the wind out of Bulma as she slumped to the ground. Bulma wheezed out, "I thought you were going to hold back?" "I did," Vegeta smirked as he lifted her up and set the blue-haired teen on the bed. Pulling off the armor, Vegeta reached for her shirt, "Let me look at it." At her glare, Vegeta rolled his eyes, adding, "Just to make sure I didn't bruise you too badly. I want to make sure you have the best chance at surviving the Blood Bath." Gently raising her red shirt, Vegeta moved it just enough for him to see where he had hit her, "It doesn't look too bad. You might be a little bruised and sore but the soreness shouldn't last too long."

_I better say something so she knows the first few days of the Game will be an act._ Not looking Bulma in the eyes, Vegeta mumbled, "You know I'd never lie to you, right Bulma?" She nodded, he had only lied to her once on a train, so very long ago. "Good. Now in the Arena… I may act different but I will always protect you." He looked her in the eye on the last half of that sentence to emphasize his point.

"Does this mean that we're a team?" Bulma sounded hopeful and Vegeta didn't want to dash her hopes yet. "Perhaps. If you'll have me. But it may take me a few days to find you in the Arena." Bulma opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off, "And I want you to make it as difficult as possible for me to find you. From the looks of the other Competitors, I'm the best tracker and most likely the only one with any actual hunting experience. That's how I have to look at this Game; as if it's just a hunt. I just hope that the Game Master gives me a bow because if there's one in the Game, Region 12 will finally have another Winner." _And She will be a beautiful Winner._

Sighing, Vegeta took Bulma's hand and led her to the door, "It's late. You should go to bed." Bulma let him lead her, but she didn't want to go, not without saying, "Goodnight, Vegeta." She kissed him on the cheek before stepping through the door and walked to her room; never looking back to see that that one innocent little kiss had caused him to stand frozen in shock as his face turned bright red.


	12. Chapter 12

12

The next morning Vegeta almost didn't bother showering after his rooftop run and workout but thought better of it. Distracted by his thoughts on how would be the best way to present his strategy to Piccolo, Vegeta didn't realize what soap button he'd pressed until it was too late. _Why are the bubbles pink? Shoot! Stop. Stop with the Ruby Rosé!_ When pounding on the button didn't work, he frantically searched the panel for a stop button. _There!_

As the water washed the sweet-smelling pink soap off his body, Vegeta glanced at the clock on the wall. _Well, I guess I'm going to stink of roses today. Hopefully, I'll have time to shower again with Ocean Blue soap before the Interviews tonight. Although I doubt it'll get rid of the flower smell._ He stepped out onto the bathmat and reached over to activate the full-body dryer. Once completely dry, he walked to his dresser and pulled out a pair of royal blue track pants with a white stripe down each leg and a blue tank top. If he was going to have to be uncomfortable tonight, he might as well be comfortable while he can.

Dressed and ready, Vegeta arrived at the breakfast table before Bulma. "Where's Bulma?" he wondered as he sat down and began to pile food on his plate. "Krillin went to make sure you both were up. I guess she wasn't." Piccolo shrugged, sipping his coffee. Not long afterward, Krillin came back followed by a very groggy Bulma, who was reaching for the carafe of coffee before she even sat down.

Towards the end of breakfast, after giving Bulma a significant amount of time to wake up, Piccolo cleared his throat, "As I'm sure you both know, the Interviews are tonight. I will be helping you with the content, how you will react to questions, etc. etc. While Krillin's going to work with you on presentation." "Like how to walk, the proper way to sit, what's the best way to move your hands, and the like," Krillin interjected. Nodding, Piccolo continued, "Exactly. From what you said last night, I take it you want to be trained alone, Vegeta?" All he got was a grunt in response as the black haired teen kept eating, "Ok then. I'll take Vegeta this morning since he'll need the most help with content. And that means…" "You'll be with me this morning, Bulma!" Krillin interrupted, "And I have just the shoes for you to practice with. Oh, we're going to have so much fun."

As Bulma was dragged away to her room by the short, bald Escort, Vegeta followed Piccolo into the living room where two chairs had been set up. The older man sat down in the red velvet chair while Vegeta took the green, fur-covered seat. Before Piccolo could speak, Vegeta asked, "Do you want to hear my strategy or not, old man?" "Go on." Piccolo drawled. Taking a deep breath, Vegeta plunged right in, "We can go about it one of two ways. I can be the Honorable Prince trying to protect the Fair Maiden in Distress or we can play the _Love_ angle. I've managed to keep it ambiguous enough to go either way." Thinking on his next words, Piccolo wondered, "Which route do _you_ think you should take?" _I hadn't expected that question._ "Um, which would get us more Supporters?' "The Star-Crossed Lovers, of course." There was no hesitation in Piccolo's answer, only fact.

Running a hand over his face, Vegeta relented, "I guess we're Lovers then. But when it comes down to it, I want you helping Bulma. The only thing I'll need is a bow if the Game Master doesn't put one in the Arena. Other than that, any and all of my Support funds can go towards whatever Bulma needs." "Tell me, boy, what's your plan if it's just you and her at the end?" Vegeta growled, surprising the aged Winner with his determination, "Bulma will win. No matter what." He added softer, "And she can't know of my plan. Cause if she did… Well, let's just say she's too stubborn to lose that argument."

With his chin resting on his fist, Piccolo mused, "We could do both, the Honorable Prince protecting his Love. And I'll honor your requests on one condition; it's the only way this crazy plan of yours is going to work. You have to tell your 'love story' tonight. If you wait until you're in the Arena to proclaim your love of her, it won't have a much of an affect because people will think it's a ploy to gain Support and sympathy." "That's what I had planned on doing for my Interview, Woodwind. My Dad always said that those who won the Games were the ones who started playing from the moment their name was Called." Vegeta snapped.

With the two men in agreement, Piccolo tried to get Vegeta to loosen up his uptight personality with little success. "This is a waste of my time!" Vegeta roared as Piccolo told him for the 300th time to 'loosen up.' Seemingly unaffected by the teen's outrage, Piccolo questioned, "And what would you rather be doing?" "Training." Vegeta crossed his arms, pouting as he scowled at the floor. Raising from his chair, Piccolo said, "Ok. Move the chairs out of the way and show me what you've got, boy." The teen couldn't help his smirk as he squared up against the 40-year old Sensei, "Just try to keep up, old man." They spent the rest of their time that morning sparring, Piccolo dodging most of Vegeta's strikes and even managing to land a couple of love-taps himself. Finally, as lunchtime rolled around, they stopped their fight; both men sweating and breathing heavily.

An obviously irritated Bulma and an equally frustrated Krillin joined the two fighters at the table. Sniffing as she sat down next to Vegeta, Bulma asked, "Does anyone smell flowers or is it just me?" "I noticed it earlier. Didn't you, Krillin?" Piccolo smirked as Vegeta narrowed his coal-black eyes at him. Krillin nodded, "Actually, now that you mention it, I did. But it went away after me and Bulma left to practice for tonight." Still trying to locate the source of the scent, Bulma closed her eyes and let her nose lead the way. Right to Vegeta's shoulder.

"It's you." Bulma stated, opening her eyes, "Why do you smell like flowers, Vegeta?" "Because I hit the wrong freaking button in the stupid shower this morning, that's why." He ground out, as Piccolo and Krillin laughed at him. After they had had their fill of laughs, Krillin wheezed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. But _at_ _least_ one Competitor does it every year. The President ordered that every shower in the Training Center is stocked with his favorite soap, Ruby Rosé." _And now I have _another_ reason to kill the lizard._ Vegeta mused as he listened to Bulma complain about her session with Krillin while the Escort defended himself.

After lunch, Bulma stayed with Piccolo in the living room while Vegeta followed Krillin to his room. Once the door closed to Vegeta's room, Krillin started ordering him about. "Let me see you walk." Not knowing what the bald man wanted, Vegeta stomped around his room. Waving his hands, Krillin cried, "No, no, no! Act like you're going to walk out on stage. How you carry yourself from stage right to your seat is going to be people's first impression of you." "These people already have an impression of me! From the Calling, the Parade, and my Score." Vegeta roared back, one hand clenched into a fist as he swiped the other hand through the air. "Perhaps." Krillin relented, "But do they actually _know_ you? Sure, they know your name, and with a quick search, your past. Even I don't know you all that well. Maybe if you told me a bit about yourself we can come up with something?"

Sighing, Vegeta crossed his arms and scowled, he hates sharing about himself, "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans. My Father was killed by President Freeza when I was five. I was banished to Region 12 instead of being killed, the reason why I was spared I still don't know. As you heard, I'm a good shot and a natural at hunting. Anything else you wish to know, Baldy?" Deep in thought as he pondered the teen's words, Krillin snapped his fingers, "Ah-ha! I've got it. You're a Prince so you can get by with being aloof and acting like all this is beneath you. Now, I want you to walk from the door to your bed like you would if you were on stage, and remember, you're Royalty; so feel free to act like it." And Vegeta did just that, he drew himself up to his full height of 5 feet, 5 inches and sauntered across the room, giving off an air of aloofness and restrained power. When he reached the bed Krillin clapped, "That's it! All you have to do is repeat that tonight and the crowd will be yours to command."

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly and before Vegeta knew it, it was time for supper. Of course, Bulma and Piccolo were already there since they practiced in the living room. "I don't see what's so wrong with me wanting to talk about why I'm here." Bulma pouted as Vegeta and Krillin joined them at the table. Internally groaning at the genius's stubbornness, Piccolo snapped, "Because that will most certainly get you killed. The Game Master controls the Arena and the President controls the Game Master. Even one as cocky as Cell cannot defy Freeza for long without consequences." "But…"

"Just shut up and listen to him, Woman. If you're _half_ the genius you always claim to be, you know he's right." Vegeta cut her off before turning back to his food. "Oh? So now your _friends_ with him? When did this happen?" Bulma shot back, she was nervous about the Interviews. She needed hers to go well because it could be the only thing between her and death. "We're not friends, Woman. Only you get that designation. Me and the Drunk are uneasy allies at best." Vegeta shrugged, unsure why he responded to her rhetorical questions.

Just then Nail and Selypa arrived, clothes for the evening in hand. Whisking the teens away, the Designers only had three hours to get them ready for the show. As he passed Bulma's room to reach his own, Vegeta roughly grabbed Nail's arm and growled lowly in his ear, "If you hurt her I'll end your pitiful excuse of a life before the night is over." "Relax, Prince, I have no intention of harming her. My job is to make sure she stands out above all others." Nail soothed the fiery teen as he pried the hand off his arm. He grunted, scowling as Selypa pushed him towards his room with ease.

Once inside, Selypa rounded on him, "What the heck was that?" Vegeta crossed his arms, scowl still in place, "I don't like the way he looks at her. Only her husband should get to see what she hides under her clothes." _And it'll kill me if anything happens to her because I wasn't close enough or fast enough._ "Is that _jealousy_ I hear?" Selypa smirked as she laid the garment bag on the bed. "So what if it is?" Vegeta retorted, adding, "You're my Designer, not my friend. Aren't you supposed to be getting me ready for the Interviews?" Rolling her eyes, Selypa sighed, "Fine. Have a seat."

She pulled out a capsule, pushed the plunger, and when the smoke cleared, a chair appeared. Another capsule was opened to reveal her prep and makeup kit. Quickly setting about her work, Selypa started off trying to tame Vegeta's unruly, flame-swept black hair; but soon gave up as nothing in her arsenal was working on the course locks. So she worked on his makeup. Vegeta did not need a lot but she had to put at least a little bit on him so that he did not appear washed out under the harsh lighting.

With his face ready, Selypa walked over to the bed and unzipped the garment bag holding his suit. It was deep royal blue in color with crimson flame decals on the wrists of the jacket and the legs of the pants. Selypa had it paired with an ivory shirt and a gold tie. Tearing off his tank top, _It's not like I'll be needing it._ Vegeta shrugged into the dress shirt, "Tell me, why are you here? You and the Other don't seem like the typical Capital-type."

The pixie-haired woman chuckled, "I was wondering when someone would ask that. I'm a Saiyan and thus a loyal subject of the house of Vegeta. My family settled in the Capital when our people immigrated from Vegeta-sai. Others… weren't so lucky. Although a fair number of the Saiyan elite choose to live in Region 2 while the lower class settled in Region 12 and others as well. As far as Nail, all I know is that he's from a country called Namek and his people had to leave after a great drought. I think his people settled all throughout the Capital and the Regions."

Vegeta tucked the shirt into the pants, they fit him very well but Selypa handed him a belt anyway, it was black and the buckle was the Saiyan Royal Crest. "But why are you a Designer? Why are you _my_ Designer?" "Because of who you are, my Prince." Selypa shrugged, mumbling, "There's more at stake here than you know, kid." Even though he heard her mumbled words, Vegeta ignored them as he slipped his jacket on, buttoned it up and turned towards her for a final inspection. Selypa looped the gold silk tie around his neck and tied a trinity knot, tucking it inside the jacket, "There. You look handsome, my Prince." Looking at himself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door, Vegeta smirked in approval. _I look amazing. Selypa is really good at her job._


	13. Chapter 13

13

Nail and Bulma were waiting at the elevator for Selypa and Vegeta to join them before going down to the Interview waiting area. Bulma looked beautiful in her scarlet red dress that swished over the floor as she walked. There were tiny jewels all over the dress, the colors of the stones changed from dark blue from the hem to her knees, teal from her knees to her waist, clear-ish yellow from her waist to just under the swell of her breasts, and crimson from her chest, up and over her shoulder and fanned out into a delicate pattern on the exposed skin of her back. Taken aback by her beauty, Vegeta opened his mouth to compliment her, "You look… nice." _Idiot! I'm a stupid idiot._ A small smile ghosted over her strawberry lips before the ding of the elevator arriving wiped it away.

The ride down was dead quiet and as soon as they reached the ground floor, the Designers had to leave the teens in the somewhat capable hands of Krillin. Since they were from Region 12, Bulma and Vegeta were in the back of the line, and thus, would be the last ones to be interviewed. _Good. That means no one will have the chance to one-up me_. Vegeta grinned as the television screen at the end of the hallway flashed to life and Jimmy Firecracker appeared. "Hellllooo citizens of Ee-arth! Jimmy Firecracker here! Who's ready to hear from the Competitors of the 74th Annual Dragon Games?!" The crowd went wild, eating up his dramatic flair. Vegeta paid rapt attention to the first few Regions interviews to get a better read on them.

Once the crowd quieted down a bit, Jimmy got the ball rolling, "Let's give a warm welcome to Miss Cui Rainsford from Region 1!" Cui sashayed out a ruffled purple dress, clearly trying her best to show off her body. Not like she had a lot to show off. Her whole interview with Jimmy was very shallow and the blond was obviously self-centered. "Thank you. Cui Rainsfords of Region 1!" The crowd applauded as she pranced off stage, and when the time was right, Jimmy called out the next Competitor, "Here's Recoome Soskin!" The buff, red-haired teen strutted out in a black suit that looked like it was a size or two too small. During the interview, Recoome answered every question in the third-person, and overall, sounded like a total buffoon. "Recoome Soskin of Region 1!"

Dodoria walked out wearing a spiky-patterned bubblegum pink dress. And one could sum up her personality in one word, brash. She would be one to watch. "Dodoria Sardinha of Region 2!" When Zarbon was called out on stage he strolled to the white chair beside Jimmy like he owned the joint. As Jimmy asked his questions, the mint green suit-clad teen was very vain and overconfident in his abilities. "Zarbon Freriches of Region 2 everyone!" The rest of the interviews for Regions 3 thru 10 were bland and unmemorable, Vegeta couldn't even recall their names after they walked off stage.

But Region 11's stood out, simply because of their interview skills. "Here's Toriyama Bird of Region 11!" Jimmy called out. Her shoulder-length brown hair was held back by an azure headband that matched her puffy-sleeved dress. Since she was the youngest Competitor at age 12, it was rather obvious that her Designer was hoping for her to gain an edge by making her appear as young as possible. The color of her dress matched well with her caramel-colored skin and the bright yellow embroidered flowers along the skirt of the dress appealed to the idea that she was a child.

Something the tiny girl said caught Vegeta's attention, "They can't kill me if they can't catch me." _And just how will you manage that, Little One?_ He wondered as Jimmy Firecracker called on, "Sixteen Gero of Region 11!" The lime-green suit did little to hide the ginger's massive size as he stomped to his seat. The tan teen answered all questions with a robotic voice like he could care less about what was happening. But his icy blue eyes betrayed him; because Vegeta saw the hidden determination and excitement dancing there. "Let's hear it for Sixteen Gero!" As soon as Jimmy let go of his hand, the ginger mountain marched away as fast as his feet could carry him without it being called running.

"And now, the last two Competitors of the night! Give it up for Miss Bulma Briefs!" Vegeta clenched his fist to keep himself from reaching for Bulma as she was fetched to walk out on stage. Not wanting to miss a second of the Woman's interview, Vegeta turned his gaze onto the T.V. Bulma looked gorgeous in her dress, her hips making the fabric swish and twirl as she strolled to her spot next to Jimmy as he stood to greet her. "Well, don't you look lovely tonight, Miss Briefs. Don't you all think so?" There were claps, cheers, and some whistling from the crowd, right on cue.

Ducking her head, hoping to hide her blush behind her curled bangs since Nail had pinned the rest up in a high ponytail, Bulma giggled nervously. Thoughtful as always, Jimmy saw that she was uncomfortable and set about his job, "I've never seen anyone from the Regions with your hair color. How did you get it to be so blue? If you don't mind my asking." Proudly brushing her bangs behind her ear, Bulma beamed, she had been hoping for this question, "Well… I'm sure you know that my Father is Dr. Hank Briefs. When I was just starting to toddle around, so I may have been 2 at the time, he was working on a permanent hair dye. He made one batch of blue permi-dye to test. Of course, me being the inquisitive child that I was, I happened to not only grab the beaker but managed to dump it all out onto myself and his research notes. As you can see, it worked. The bad news is all my Dad's notes were useless so he couldn't make more."

Knowing that her time was running short, Jimmy asked one more, somewhat unrelated question, "I see that you can take the girl out of the Capital but you can't take the Capital out of the girl. Tell me, who made your exquisite dress?" Shyly smiling at the middle-aged host, Bulma announced, "Nail Guruson. Do you remember how my fellow Competitor and I were during the Parade?" Jimmy nodded, "Of course we remember. How could one ever _forget_ such a sight? Not one but _two_ Competitors on fire, _and_ emerged unharmed." "Well, I'm wearing more flames tonight." Bulma bit her lip, adding, "Would you like to see?" "Of course. But only if it's safe." Jimmy cautiously encouraged as the crowd cheered her on. She couldn't help the nervous chuckle, "It's perfectly safe, Jimmy."

Bulma rose from her seat and stepped forward a bit to give herself the room she would need to show off Nail's design and her Dad's tech. Slowly spinning in a circle, Bulma picked up speed with each turn as the dress fanned out from her body. Just when the fabric looked like it was as far from Bulma as it could be, The dark blue stones crackled as fire spurted from them, going as far as her waist, and each stone gave the flames a different color from indigo to cerulean to a touch of yellow. Clapping along with the crowd, Jimmy stood to help Bulma regain her equilibrium before he held one hand above their heads, "Let's hear it for Bulma Briefs of Region 12, the Girl on Fire!"

Vegeta stared slack-jawed at Bulma the entire time she was twirling around. _He has no idea what he's done. Bulma just became everyone's target. And I'm going to make her an even bigger one. Great, just great._ Vegeta was pulled from his thoughts as he was directed to the stage just as his name was announced, "…Vegeta Saiyan!" While there was the usual applause, there was also a small chorus of warrior chanting, "A'oo! A'oo! A'oo!" as Vegeta sauntered across the stage, indifference and power radiating from him. "So tell me, Vegeta; what's different here than what you remember?" Jimmy asked as they got settled in their seats. Quickly deciding to take charge while at least trying to be friendly, Vegeta replied, "It's Prince Vegeta, Jimmy. And I'd have to say the showers. I don't remember it being that easy to hit the Ruby Rosé soap, but then again, I may have just been too short at the time."

That earned him a good chuckle from both Jimmy and the crowd, so Vegeta gave them a self-satisfied smirk, _Good, I can work with this._ Pressing on with his line of questioning, Jimmy inquired, "And how was Region 12? I'm sure that you had lots of girls chasing after you." _Perfect._ Vegeta leaned forward like he was going to tell Jimmy a secret, "I did. But there is only ever one Woman for me." "Oh, come on! Surely you can tell us! Who is it that stole your heart?" "Ok." Vegeta chuckled as he began to weave his tale.

"I met her not long after I arrived in Region 12. She has the clearest blue eyes you'll ever see, as blue as the noon-day sky, her lips are as red as strawberries, and her skin is as pale as milk and as soft as silk. But make no mistake, for though she is soft, she is strong. She chased away many of the girls in 12 that wanted me to Choose them just as I chased away any weaklings who dared to look in her direction. It's her sharp intellect and even sharper tongue that has held my interest, even after all these years. Funny thing is though, how she managed to win my heart was with a cinnamon roll. And I've been protecting her ever since because a Prince never breaks his word."

Unable to help the grin on his face, Jimmy said, "Sounds like to me that all you need to do is win this Game. Go home. And marry that girl!" A true, cackling laugh escaped the teen before he scowled, "If only it were that easy. For you see, she came here with me." _Bomb dropped. And I played you like a fiddle_. "I'm sorry to hear that. I truly wish you both the very best of luck." Jimmy stated sadly as the air became grim, the crowd was shocked to hear that there would be no love story for the surly teen. "Let's hear it for Prince Vegeta Saiyan of Region 12!"

He sauntered off stage with his head held high and an evil gleam in his eye. _Just try to stop me now, Freeza._ Vaguely hearing Jimmy address the crowd and tell them good night or some other such nonsense, Vegeta booked it to the elevator and guessed that the others must have gone back up to the floor sometime during or after his interview. The ride up seemed faster than usual since he was alone, _The next time I see that Namekian I going to punch him so hard he won't wake up until a week after the Game._

As the scowling teen stepped out of the metal box, who was the first one to greet him but Nail. True to his word, Vegeta clocked the blond Designer in his cheek, making the man drop to the floor. "What was that for?" Bulma yelled as she knelt down to assess Nail's condition. Scoffing as he crossed his arms, Vegeta growled, "The idiot made you a target with that frilly dress. And now the other's will be going after you to get to me." Slowly rising to her feet, Bulma glared at the Prince with a fire far more real than her dress, "If I'm a target, then so be it. Let them discover just what I can do when left to my own devices. I'm not some helpless female, Vegeta; _and_ _you_ _know_ _it_." With that, she turned on her heel and glided down the hall to her room.

Piccolo held out a hand to help his fellow Namekian up, "You alright?" "I'll be fine." Nail grunted, rubbing his jaw, "Man, that kid packs a punch." "Keep that in mind the next time you make Bulma a dress." Vegeta spat before disappearing down the hall. Turning to look at the former Winner, Nail questioned, "And we're sure that he's the one we want to spearhead this?" "He's the best one for the job." Piccolo sighed as Selypa added, "If he truly is the Lost Prince of Vegeta-sai, he will pass through this Game like a fish through water. Our people not only thrive in battle; we're made for it."


	14. Chapter 14

14

No matter how hard Vegeta tried, sleep would not come to him. Growling as he looked at the clock for the hundredth time, Vegeta sat up. _Forget it! Maybe some fresh air will help._ He pulled on the track pants he wore earlier that day, or yesterday seeing as it was nearly 1 in the morning. Vegeta silently padded down the hall on bare feet. However, the roof was not empty like he thought it would be. Leaning against the railing was the one person he didn't feel up to facing yet, so he turned around and hoped that she hadn't noticed him. But of course, Bulma had learned quite a bit about Vegeta in the years that he'd climb into her room, "Couldn't sleep, Vegeta?" Drawn in by her voice, he answered without thinking, "Apparently neither could you."

Bulma turned to look at Vegeta as he stood next to her. The city lights from below casting strange shadows on his handsome face, making him look far more menacing then she knew him to be. "You're staring, Woman." Vegeta's deep rumble brought her out of her thoughts. "Oh, sorry." She mumbled, casting her gaze back towards the streets below. Genuinely curious, he asked, "Why are you out here? Even with your mind, lying in a bed without distractions would be far more productive." Sighing, Bulma turned so her back was to the railing, her elbows resting on it, "The room was too stuffy. Too constraining. I needed to think and this is the first pace that popped in my head." "Think about what?" Vegeta mimicked the blue-haired girl, the partying crowds below couldn't hold a candle to Bulma when she was explaining her newest inventions or ideas.

"About the Game tomorrow. About how to make sure that I stay true to who I am. I don't want to change and I most certainly don't want _him_ to change me." Bulma breathed out, looking like she felt better after saying her swirling thoughts aloud. Wondering what she meant by her last statement, Vegeta asked, "How would _he_ change you, Woman?" "By turning me into something I'm not." She shrugged, a lame answer but it was the only she had. "So does that mean you won't kill?" He questioned, onyx eyes twinkling in the faint light as they stared intently at Bulma, waiting for her next words. With determination in her voice, Bulma said, "Of course I'll kill if I have too. But if I'm going to die, I want to make sure that I die in my own way and on _my_ terms; not someone else's."

Vegeta couldn't help the smirk on his lips, _That's my Bulma_. "I can't afford to think like that. I haven't been able to think like that for a long time." He glared up into the night sky, imagining how different his life could've turned out if it wasn't for a certain murderous, lizard-like man who just happened to be in a position of power. "I know, Vegeta." Bulma sighed as she pushed off the railing, "I'm going to bed since I finally feel tired. Goodnight, Vegeta." All she got was a grunt in response. In reality, Vegeta had never said those words to anyone but his Dad since his mother died, and his father was killed a long time ago. Waiting a fair length of time, Vegeta pushed off the railing and went to bed, hoping that sleep would find him easier this time.

* * *

**A.N. Sorry it's so short but it's the last breather before we get into the action, so I kinda felt like it needed to stay it's own chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

15

When Vegeta awoke the next morning, there was a tray of food and clothes resting atop his dresser. Munching on the somewhat meager breakfast as he read a note left on the tray. _Good morning, Competitor! Hope you enjoyed your breakfast, it might be your last meal for some time. The hovercraft will be ready at 9 AM to take you and the other Competitors to the Arena. So please be ready by wearing the clothes provided for you when your Sensei arrives to bring you to the hovercraft. Good luck, Competitor!_

Quickly looking at the clock, Vegeta scarfed down the rest of the food and ran to jump in the shower, being especially careful about what soap he used. Once clean and dry, he set about getting dressed. Noting the olive green of the cargo pants and the black t-shirt he was given, Vegeta deduced that this year's Arena would either be a forest or jungle setting of some type, he hoped it was the former. Directly after finishing tying his boots, there was a knock on his door. _Must be time_.

Opening the door, Piccolo barked out, "It's time." Vegeta followed the Namekian to the roof, but they paused in the stairwell. "Listen, I know you probably already know this, but the first thing you're going to need is water. Without it…" Vegeta cut Piccolo off, rolling his eyes, "I'm as good as dead. I know. Just make sure Bulma knows that. I only took her out in the forest once, because she begged me to take her. Her complaining cost me a whole day of hunting and she got lost when she went to… answer nature's call." Sighing, the teen added, "As long as she survives 'til I can pair up with her, I'll make sure she wins. So your most important job is to make sure she stays alive long enough for me to reach her." The Sensei nodded as he continued up the steps and onto the roof where a large metal craft was hovering above the garden.

The wind from the propellers caused the wind chimes to sound distressed and chaotic as Vegeta marched towards the rope ladder attached to the hovercraft. As soon as both feet were on the ladder a strong current passed through Vegeta's body, immobilizing him while the ladder was reeled up into the vehicle. _This must be another one of the Old Man's inventions. _When he was safely inside the hovercraft, the current stopped and Vegeta was free to move and find a seat where he could easily watch Bulma, who was already on the ship, choosing one next to Zarbon while, to his displeasure, Dodoria was sitting next to Bulma. A lady in a white coat walked around to each teen and stuck a needle in their right arm, explaining to each in a gruff tone, "It's a tracker." _So that's how those in the Control Box know where everyone is and who's really dead._

* * *

No one talked. Everyone knew that there were no friends in the Games, only enemies. Sooner than anyone thought, Vegeta guessed that they had been flying for thirty minutes at the most, the hovercraft landed in an underground hanger. Each Competitor was escorted from the ship to a small room with their designation on it by two members of the Freeza Force.

Vegeta was lead to a room who's door read, "Region 12, Male." Inside he saw a circular metal plate on the floor in one corner of the room, next to that was a single black jacket hanging from a metal coat rack, and against the wall opposite of the jacket was a red leather couch occupied by a tan woman with close-cut black hair, the tips of which were dyed pink and purple. But what drew Vegeta's attention to her was the white chest plate in her lap.

Reaching for the armor, Vegeta spoke first, "How did you get that?" Selypa smiled at the young Prince, "All tokens have to be inspected to make sure that they're not a weapon. The girl from 1, Cui, had a ring that, when twisted, had a hidden poison spike. Naturally, she didn't get to keep it. They almost didn't let you and Bulma keep your tokens, but Nail and I were able to _convince_ the Committee to allow you to keep it." Since he had fifteen minutes before the Game started, Vegeta put on the armor and moved through a few katas to reacquaint himself with its flexibility before joining Selypa on the couch and drinking a glass of water.

After ten minutes, Selypa got up and picked up the jacket, holding it out for Vegeta to put his arms into it, "I had no say in their designs but this jacket is made of a fabric that is designed to trap and reflect heat. So the temperature may drop at night." Circling around in front of him, Selypa zipped the jacket up, "I'm not allowed to bet. But if I could, I'd bet _everything_ on you, my Prince." A robotic voice broke the silence, "Sixty seconds to launch." Squaring his shoulders, Vegeta stepped into the metal plate and a glass tube rose from the floor to the ceiling. Though her voice was muffled, Vegeta could make out what Selypa said, her pointing at his left shoulder helped, "You're a Prince. Chin up. Be Royalty." The robot continued to count down as Vegeta began to rise from the room into the Arena.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the air. It was crisp and clean like the woods back home in 12. After noting the woods on his left and a huge lake to the right, Vegeta looked around the ring of people for Bulma and her tell-tell blue hair. _The Woman's going to have a hard time hiding with that._ She was about five pedestals away from him to the left. Only after he knew where Bulma was, did Vegeta begin to survey the Cornucopia and the draw of the Blood Bath. Scattered along the outer edges of the semi-circle were basic supplies like food, water bottles, and blankets while closer to the feast horn structure were a few backpacks filled with supplies but the contents were unknown, and finally right in the gaping mouth of the Cornucopia, was Vegeta's bow. It was even the same metallic royal blue bow from his Showcase.

Smirking in delight, Vegeta watched eagerly as the clock ticked down from sixty seconds to zero. He knew better than to step off early after a girl from Region 7 a few years back blew herself to smithereens by being clumsy and dropping her token. Reading his feet to dash off the platform as soon as it was safe, Vegeta glanced at Bulma once more and noticed that her feet were facing the Cornucopia, not _away_ from it like he had hoped. Finally catching her attention, Vegeta shook his head, hoping that she'd understand. Bulma furled her eyebrows in confusion, mouthing, '_What?_' Unable to explain what he wanted her to do Vegeta scowled and focused on what was in front of him as the last few seconds ticked away.

A cannon fired, signaling the start of the Game. The Competitors went ballistic, scrambling for _something_ from the Cornucopia since it was the only place to get a weapon; even if one didn't use it to kill, a knife was still vital for survival. Vegeta dashed into the fray, snagging a bright orange backpack from the arms of a red-haired girl. Whirling around to locate Bulma, Vegeta's heart nearly stopped as he saw Dodoria ready to end her. Unable to think of a better move, he slung the backpack at the same time the girl from 2 threw a knife. And both projectiles were heading straight at Bulma. The knife sunk into the canvas backpack as it passed in front of the blue-haired teen. She caught the bag and looked at Vegeta, who yelled at her, "RUN WOMAN!" Nodding, Bulma clutched the backpack tightly and took off into the dark undergrowth of the forest.

Clenching his jaw, Vegeta raised his fists and rounded on Dodoria and her fellow Careers Zarbon, Recoome, Cui, and another that Vegeta couldn't recall his name so he must not be a threat, judging from the way he was shaking. "Hold on, Dodoria." A low pitched, haughty voice commanded. "He might be of some use to us yet. How about it, Vegeta; shall we join forces?" Zarbon, with his long, dark brown hair braided down his back, held out a short spear to Vegeta as a sign of a truce. But Vegeta knew better, the pale teen most likely had plans to use him to track Bulma. Little did they know, they were playing right into Vegeta's hand.

Warily accepting the spear, Vegeta said, "If you want that bow to be of any use, you'd be wise to let me have it." "Like we'd ever trust you with it. Besides, I got it first." Cui spat as she held the weapon tightly to her chest. "I watched you during Training Cui, you can't hit the broadside of a hovercraft if your life depended on it. And it will." Vegeta chuckled. _That bow will be mine._

Breaking the staredown, Zarbon turned to the boy from Region 3, "You said that you can reactivate the mines, right?" The boy nodded meekly, afraid for his life and rightfully so. "Good." Zarbon purred, before barking orders to the rest of the group, "Vegeta, you and Cui will help Sparky here dig up the mines around the pedestals while Dodoria, Recoome, and I pile everything up. I want us to be done by nightfall so we can go hunting." Grumbling to himself as he worked, Vegeta couldn't help but worry about Bulma and how she was fairing as the cannons fired; one for each dead Competitor. Vegeta counted each one and, to his relief, all twelve were in the clearing with the Cornucopia.


	16. Chapter 16

16

Meanwhile, in the forest, Bulma crashed through the underbrush until she felt like she was far enough away from the Blood Bath. Hopefully, no one had followed her as Bulma saw that she had left quite a trail, "Good job, Bulma; can't even follow a simple order." She mumbled to herself as she started walking again, much more careful about hiding her trail this time. Once she started to get tired as the adrenaline wore off, Bulma sat down on a log and opened her backpack to see what was inside. Pulling out the knife that Dodoria so graciously gave her, Bulma noticed that it had an edge on one side while the back of the blade was serrated, all in all, a good survival knife just like she had been hoping to get.

With the knife free, Bulma set about emptying the contents of the backpack; there was an empty water bottle, a handful of matches in a waterproof container, a spool of wire, a length of rope, and a blanket made from the same material as her jacket. "At least this stuff is actually useful," Bulma said aloud. Then she heard the cannon fire. When the forest sounds returned after the twelfth cannon ended, all Bulma could do was hope that she would not see Vegeta's face in the sky tonight before she got up to locate water just like Mr. Piccolo had told her too.

* * *

It took her until midafternoon to find a small pond to fill her water bottle and quench her thirst. Now that she had water, Bulma's next act of business was to set a snare with some of her wire and, with no small amount of luck, she's have something to eat by dusk. And she was one lucky lady today because her snare caught a nice, fat rabbit while the sun was still up, which meant that Bulma could cook her dinner without the worry of her fire attracting the wrong attention. Or any attention really. Naturally, Bulma was a near expert on cleaning and gutting fresh game since she had watched her mother prep and cook whatever Vegeta brought them, so she had her meal skinned and gutted by the time her small campfire was hot enough for cooking.

As the sun began to set and the forest started to darken, Bulma stomped out her fire and went looking for a tree with a low-hanging branch that she could reach. Recalling Vegeta's words to her the day she'd finally managed to convince him to show her the world beyond the fence, '_If you get lost out here, climb a tree until I find you. Trees are the safest place out here after dark because the most dangerous hunters are on the ground._' So she did just that.

After finding a nice maple tree that she could climb, Bulma settled with her back against the trunk, tied herself to the wide branch she was sitting on and wrapped the blanket around her legs to keep them warm since the temperature had started dropping when the sun went down for the night. Bulma waited in apprehension for the faces of the dead to appear on the night sky, and to her relief, Vegeta was not among them. She had finally started to drift off to sleep when she heard the crackle of a fire; someone had managed to restart her fire. "So much for sleep," Bulma grumbled to herself, hoping that she was high enough in the tree that no one would notice her.

* * *

The fire drew them in like moths to a light, and Vegeta felt little pity for the idiot who was stupid enough to light it. A girl, about 15 by the looks of it, sat huddled close to the small circle of heat and light, her unzipped jacket not helping combat the chilly air like it was designed. Golden-yellow eyes peeked out from under a bush and winked at Vegeta, signaling him to distract their target. Obeying the command, the Saiyan teen snapped the twig in his hands.

The girl's head whipped around in fear, squinting into the darkness trying to spot the danger. But when she found nothing, she turned back to the fire and gasped at the four Careers who seemed to appear out of thin air. Scrambling to her feet, the terrified teenager backed away; or at least she tried to. Until she was met with Vegeta's muscled chest against her back. Roughly shoving her forward, Vegeta crossed his arms and scowled, the flickering flames making him appear far more threatening than the other Competitors despite his shorter stature.

"Well, what do we have here?" Zarbon purred as he stalked towards the girl. Knowing that she was dead but still desperate to live the girl started to try to beg, plead, and bargain, but her words fell on deaf ear as Zarbon plunged his sword into the right side of her stomach. As their prey dropped to the ground, the Careers savored their temporary leader's kill while Vegeta watched the girl's blood pool and seep into the dirt.

After a short debate, the group decided to go a little farther to see if they could find another victim tonight. They didn't get far before finding a snare. _With the way the fire had been built and now this snare, especially with that frilly extra twirl, the Woman's been here. At least she's not dead yet._ Dodoria's gruff voice brought him out of his thoughts, "Any idea who's that is?" "It's Her's." Vegeta announced, he'd have a better shot at protecting Bulma if he could lead them away from her. "Are you sure, Vegeta?" Zarbon drawled as he wiped the blood off his weapon. Rolling his onyx eyes, Vegeta snarled, "Of course I'm sure. Let's keep going, she must be close by." Vegeta had led them a short distance from the snare, right under Bulma's tree, when Recoome asked, "Shouldn't Recoome have heard a cannon by now for the girl?"

Such a simple question almost started a fight, with Vegeta finding himself to be the voice of reason, "Just shut up already. I'll go make sure she's dead." Quickly jogging back to the kill site, Vegeta was surprised to find the girl was still breathing. Kneeling beside her, careful not to get any blood on his clothes, Vegeta whispered into her ear, "I'll make it quick." Then he snapped her neck, severing the spinal cord, and thus ending her life. It was one of the moves Nappa taught him during training that he used on wounded prey from time to time as needed to end its suffering.

When Vegeta got back to the group, they had calmed down quite a bit since the cannon had fired. "Well, I guess the first kill goes to Vegeta then." Zarbon snarked, upset that the death wouldn't go on his score and draw more Supporters. Desperate to get these killers away from a certain blue-haired Competitor, Vegeta stated, "It's late and it's unlikely that we'll find anyone in the dark." Thankfully the gang agreed with Vegeta and started towards the Cornucopia, while Bulma watched in horror as her best friend and long-time crush walked among the people she feared most.


	17. Chapter 17

17

The next morning Bulma would have rolled out of the tree if she hadn't tied herself in. As she climbed down her thoughts circled back to last night, '_Did Vegeta really kill that girl last night? And what is with him working with the Careers? I thought he was _my_ partner. Does that mean he was lying during the Interviews?_' Shaking her head, Bulma chuckled at herself as she started hiking away from her tree, '_Vegeta doesn't lie to me_.' "Focus Bulma. Next on the list is staying alive and that means I have to keep moving." She said under her breath as she hitched the backpack higher on her shoulders and set off into the unknown.

* * *

Munching on an apple, Vegeta saw smoke off in the distance. Unfortunately, so did the others in the camp, "Recoome sees smoke." "So do I." Cui agreed, pointing out the obvious. Zarbon jumped up and grabbed his sword, "Let's go get us some kills." "Humph." Vegeta grunted as he leapt from his perch on top of the Cornucopia, advising, "Don't go charging off like idiots; the fire could get behind us and then we'll be trapped. Let's follow the river. Anyone with a half a brain will be moving that direction anyway." The gang of teens started booking it to the river and followed along its bank, moving towards the smoke.

It had only been an hour at most when Recoome's deep voice half-shouted, "Recoome spotted her!" Splashing as she got out of the water, Bulma ran away as fast as she could. Luckily Vegeta's training was paying off as he outpaced the others, sprinting after the blue blur. Bulma paused in a small clearing before limping towards the tree in the middle, it's not like she had a better option. As Vegeta arrived, he noticed Bulma's limp and how she was struggling to reach a branch just beyond her fingertips, "Quickly, Woman." He interlocked his hands to boost Bulma up to a branch and she pulled her sore, exhausted body into the tree.

Backing away as she hauled her curvaceous body up the tree, Vegeta glanced at the Careers as they finally joined them before turning his attention back to Bulma. Not even pausing for a breath, Zarbon started climbing after his target. To Vegeta's relief, Zarbon missed a handhold and fell to the ground. With their leader on the ground, Cui took her bow and shot an arrow at the bluenette but she missed by a wide margin.

After picking himself up, Zarbon snatched the weapon from Cui and shot another arrow with similar results. Breathing heavily, Bulma taunted, "Why don't you throw the sword?! Maybe you'll actually hit something!" "What now?" Dodoria questioned, causing Zarbon to snarl at her. Finally speaking, Vegeta said, "Let's wait her out." Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, but Vegeta explained, "It's either come down to us or starve up there. Either way, she dies." "Fine. Light a fire." Zarbon growled as he bumped into the flame-haired teen. _Just hang tight, Woman. Hold out a little while longer._

* * *

There was only one face in the sky that night, but a small shadow in another tree got Bulma's attention and pointed to something several branches above her. A beesuer hive; a black and bronze-patterned insect whose sting would cause major hallucinations and death if stung multiple times. Nodding her thanks, Bulma made a shooing motion to send the child away, thinking that it would work best if she waited 'til morning and surprise her pursuers. As she settled back against the tree to sleep, a soft beeping noise sounded just before, whatever it was, landed itself in Bulma's tree.

Of course, she had to investigate it, and to her delight, it was a gift from her Supporters. A shallow tin of burn medicine, which she applied immediately to her leg since it was burned during the fire earlier that day, and a short note from Piccolo saying, _Stay_ _alive_. '_I'm_ _trying_ _Mr_. _Piccolo_ _but_ _Vegeta's_ _making_ _it really_ _difficult_.' She thought to herself as she settled against the trunk of the tree to hopefully get a few hours of sleep.

Vegeta laid awake all night watching his blue-haired Woman, he didn't want anyone to hurt, let alone kill, her. So, of course, he saw Bulma shoo her hands at someone before he heard the rustling of leaves and a flash of brown in the moonlight. And the small gold parachute gliding it's way to Her tree, _Huh? A gift from our Supporters already? Must be something for whatever was causing Her to limp._ His suspicions were confirmed as the potent bitter scent of burn salve hit his nose, drawing out an unwanted memory.

* * *

_He was thirteen when a mine shaft collapsed. As he pushed through the throngs of people all he could think about was if Nappa was ok and what would happen to him if the bald man had died. Elevator after soot-filled elevator rose out of the dark depths of Region 12's deathtrap, each one caused someone relief and another heartache. To both his relief and horror, Nappa was on the last elevator; his body carried by four men and his face contorted in pain. The men carried Nappa to a healer named Dende at the White Mage Apothecary who hastily ordered the men about and as soon as they had laid Nappa down on the low-bed in the backroom, Dende told them to get out._

_The 18-year-old young man pulled his shaggy blond hair back, pinning it up with two knitting needles, and barked at him, "You're with him?" He nodded helplessly, and Vegeta hated being helpless. "Good. Use this to get his clothes off while I find something to treat him with." Dende handed him a pair of scissors and walked through the doorway. Inspecting the wounds when he came back, Dende clucked his tongue, "It looks worse than it actually is. But you'll have to be careful and watch it so infection doesn't set in." After treating the burns with a tan salve, they wrapped each one in clean cloth bandages._

_When they were done Dende said, "He can stay here until he's awake and able to walk home. But I charge 5 zeni a day for that bed, plus 5 for the bandages and 20 zeni for the salve. And I expect full payment when he leaves." Not really having any other option, Vegeta agreed and left for home to retrieve the zeni he had stashed away. A few days later Nappa finally woke up, so Vegeta paid Dende and helped the bald man walk home. Bulma and her mother were a great help as Nappe recovered, but his young charge would not allow them to tend to his wounds. It was then that Nappa explained that any Saiyan who came back from the brink of death would be stronger than they ever were before._

* * *

Next thing Vegeta knew, it was morning and the sun was just starting to come up in the Arena. _Shoot! Did I fall asleep?_ Looking up at the tree, Vegeta furled his eyebrows, catching her stifled whimpers in his well-trained ears. _What is she doing up there? Oh no. Is that a…_ He got his answer as the beesuer hive crashed into the ground, breaking open a good twenty feet away from him. The black and bronze bees poured out of the hive and started attacking the Careers. Everything erupted into chaos as they started swatting at the insects before making a dash to the lake at the Cornucopia. But Vegeta ran towards the river, it was much closer than the lake and would serve the same purpose of getting the beesuers off his tail.

As he was under the water, Vegeta mused, _Beesuers are well-named since they will pursue their target for a long distance._ The strange insects were created during the Great War, on President Chilled's orders, to break the minds and spirits of the rebels in Region 13. It's said that if one is stung on each arm and leg, they have an uncontrollable urge to dance. And many of the test subjects reported that at least one hallucination involves dancing of some sort.

Finally, the beesuers left Vegeta to go find their sisters and he launched himself onto the river bank gasping for breath. _No time to stop. I have to protect the Woman._ Gritting his teeth, Vegeta pushed himself onto his feet and trudged back to the clearing where Bulma had just gotten out of the tree. He knew something was wrong as he approached, her blue eyes were distant and glazed over and she wobbled unsteadily. Vegeta grabbed Bulma's arms roughly, with a bit more force then he meant to use but it seemed to help her focus, asking harshly, "What are you doing here, Woman?"

Bulma's clouded blue eyes stared into his vibrant black ones before sliding to the left, he followed her gaze and found that Cui had died from the beesuer venom. And she still held his bow. Letting go of her for a brief moment, Vegeta stripped the corpus of the weapon and went back to Bulma, ordering as he wrapped her hands tightly around the precious item, "Hold on to this for me, your life depends on it." She nodded dumbly but clutched the bow and quiver to her chest as Vegeta heard heavy footsteps coming towards them. "Run, Woman! Now! GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!" Numbly obeying his commands, Bulma scuttled into the bushes on unsteady feet.

Readying himself for the fight of his life, Vegeta faced the source of footsteps. The pale boy was panting heavily, a stream of water falling from his long braid as the moisture on his body made him shimmer in the light, "Where is she, Vegeta?" "Who?" Vegeta stood tall, though he knew playing dumb wasn't the best option; it wasn't like he had another one. "Well then, it's a good thing I found you, Vegeta. Cause you're the only one who can find that spotlight stealer. Now, are you going to come quietly, or am I going to have to make you scream?" Zarbon smirked at the shorter teen, his stance wide, everything about his body was screaming, '_FIGHT ME!_' Confidently crossing his arms, Vegeta scoffed, "Oh, you mean like Cui?" Slinging water from his hair as he shook his head, Zarbon clucked, "Cui's death is her own fault. She didn't move fast enough."

Giving his opponent almost no time to react, Vegeta leapt forward, swinging at Zarbon's cheek. Relentlessly pressing his advantage, the Saiyan struck his larger adversary over and over; he had gotten quite used to fighting a bigger opponent because of his training with Nappa. A swift kick to the chest sent Zarbon across the clearing, as Vegeta mocked, "What? Only know who to fight defenseless little girls, Zarbon? I thought 2 trained you people better than this." Rising to his feet, Zarbon muttered, "Oh, you have no idea what you're getting into, Vegeta." "Hah!" Vegeta scoffed, adding, "Since this Game started, I've done nothing but lead you cretins in circles. And I'm the only one in the Arena to have gotten a kill _after_ the Blood Bath. I'm on top of the scoreboard."

"Well Vegeta, I hope you enjoyed being on top…" Zarbon turned, gold eyes glaring into onyx orbs, "cause I'm about to put you back on the bottom, where you belong." Charging, Zarbon swung his sword at Vegeta's head. The black-haired teen ducked in the nick of time only for Zarbon to punch him in the stomach. _Shoot. I knew I wasn't ready for this._

Barely given a second to think, Vegeta saw a flash of silver so he jumped away from where the object was heading, yelling as the sword cut into his right thigh. Crumpled on the ground, Vegeta pushed himself up slightly before he felt cold steel against his throat. "Where is _she_?" Zarbon growls threateningly. Vegeta stared in the opposite direction Bulma went, resigning himself to his fate. _At least I died protecting My Woman._

Evil laughter filled his ears and chilled him to the bone as Zarbon purred in his ear, "Oh, I'm not going to kill you yet, _Prince_ Vegeta. After I kill the blue-haired wench and you see her face in the sky, if you survive that long; _then_ I'm going to hunt you down and kill you like the _filthy monkey_ you are." Turning on his heel in the direction Vegeta told him, Zarbon stalked off after his true pray. _I can't believe Freeza put him up to this. Nothing I can do about it now but win. First things first though, I have to take care of this…_ Vegeta scowled as he struggled to stand but it turned into a smirk as he hobbled to the river, _Freeza's Pet must be more of an idiot then I originally thought if he thinks my Woman will be an easy target. Wound first, and then a place to hide while I heal…_

Slowly lowering himself to the riverbank, Vegeta set about cleaning his wound with handfuls of water. It was slow and the bleeding was not stopping, so Vegeta took off his shirt and tore it into strips before wrapping his cut tightly. Not having a ton of options, Vegeta settled on moving upstream and look for an outcropping or a crevasse he could use to hide until he was healed enough to find Bulma; or she found him, whichever happens first. Spotting a perfect overhang near the forest edge, Vegeta had to crawl over the rocks to reach it. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it wasn't big enough to fully hide him. And for once, Vegeta was glad that Bulma had dragged him to that useless station.


	18. Chapter 18

18

Blinking away the last of her dreams? Hallucinations? Visions? Bulma didn't know what to call them, she was just grateful that they were over. Sitting up, Bulma looked around and saw that her backpack was sitting next to her, along with Vegeta's bow. "I don't remember taking those off." Bulma muttered as she got up and shouldered the pack again. A flash of brown dashed behind a tree trunk, so Bulma called out to it, "You can come out. I won't hurt you." Slowly peeking around the tree, a small child with caramel-colored skin and a dark chocolate jacket, with her brown hair pulled back in twin buns and jade eyes smiled shyly at Bulma. "You're Toriyama, right? I'm Bulma." She held out a hand and Toriyama shook it.

"Were you the one who put these on me?" Bulma motioned at the hand-sized leaf on her neck. Nodding, Toriyama said, "Yeah. We use them back home to treat both bee stings and beesuer stings." Then the young girl pointed to the bow, "Do you know how to use that?" Bulma glanced down at the weapon in her hand, "Not really. Vegeta's the hunter while I'm more of an inventor, but I think I can figure it out. Goodness knows I've seen him shoot before." Only going a few feet before turning around, Bulma called over her shoulder, "You coming or what?" A dazzling smile light up her jade eyes as she hurried to catch up to Bulma, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The two girls managed to take down a goose, and it only took Bulma two shots to kill it. Luckily they found the first arrow or else Vegeta might've killed them, well, Toriyama in any case. As they sat by the fire after Bulma prepared their kill for cooking, Toriyama asked, "What's it like in 12?" Sighing as she sat back, Bulma rubbed her face, "Well, there's mines but I'm sure you know that. But there's also a bunch of little shops in the center of town, near the Justice Building. Senzu Bakery is my favorite place to visit when me and Momma go into town, but we don't go all that often since it takes thirty minutes to get there from my house."

Toriyama undid her hair as she asked, "Why was it so far anyway?" "Because me and Vegeta live on the very edge of the Seam. The Seam is where all the miners live, so it's very poor and the houses aren't much better. Trust me, it was a bit of a shock coming from the Capital where my bedroom was bigger than the whole house put together." Bulma chuckled, reminiscing on her first night in 12.

Shaking her head, Bulma pulled herself out of her thoughts, "What about you, Toriyama? What's 11 like?" The young girl looked nervous but answered strongly, "We're agriculture. So we grow everything except wheat since that's Region 9's job. I work in the orchids. They usually have me go get the fruit hiding at the top of the trees." "That's why you're so good in the trees." Bulma stated as if it just hit her.

Nodding, Toriyama gazed past the fire, "Yeah, to be honest, I've always felt more at home off the ground than on it." A small smile was illuminated by the firelight as she continued, "Back home I found a stray dog last year. My parents weren't too keen on the idea of a dog since we have so many mouths to feed already but they let me keep him as long as I was the one taking care of him. Rex likes to jump on my sister's big ball and roll around on it."

Checking to see if the goose was cooked, Bulma wondered, "What about the Careers?" The unspoken question of '_Is Vegeta still with them?_' echoing in her mind. Toriyama shrugged as she accepted a leg from the older teen, "They're holed up at the Cornucopia. All the supplies are in a giant pile and there's no grass around it. Not sure why." "What about Vegeta?" Bulma asked hesitantly. Slowly munching on her supper, the younger girl replied, "Last I saw of him, he was down by the river. Sooo... is any of that true?"

"Any of what true?" Bulma had an idea about what she was asking but didn't want to assume. "You know; you and _him_." Toriyama wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Blushing, Bulma smiled forlornly, "Vegeta never lies. And he always says," Her voice dropped to give a poor imitation of Vegeta's deep gravelly voice, "_A Prince never breaks his word._" That earned a contagious giggle from the smaller girl which Bulma caught. The two girls had a through giggle fit before finishing their meal quickly, making sure to smother their fire completely before climbing into a tree to sleep.

Having spent much of the night thinking about what Toriyama said about the Careers, Bulma described her plan to the young Competitor the next morning. "If we can find a way to destroy the Careers supplies then they'll be on the same playing field as us. And I know from previous Games that Careers aren't really taught how to fend for themselves. That's why they always hoard all the food they can from the beginning." "But how are we going to do that?" Bulma couldn't help the grin on her face, "We draw them away. Every time I've run into them a fire was involved, so we can use a bunch of greenery to make the smokiest fires we can; and while they're off on a wild goose chase…" "We can make our move on their camp!" Toriyama finished the sentence. "Exactly." Bulma agreed proudly, "Let's get going, we've got a lot of wood to gather before nightfall. Because tomorrow, we start playing _our_ Game."

* * *

The next day, Bulma explained what Toriyama needed to do as she placed one more big limb full of leaves on the pile, "Since this is the biggest, you'll light this one last. Give me an hour to get to the Cornucopia and then light the first fire, then the second fifteen minutes later, and this one fifteen minutes after that. You're sure you'll be fine?" She couldn't help but worry about her new friend. "I'll be fine." Toriyama said, adding, "We should have a signal to let the other know we're ok. Just in case." Looking at the child for the answer, Bulma agreed, "Ok. What kind of signal?"

Toriyama pursed her lips together, whistling a short four-note tune, and to Bulma's amazement, the chatterdees; a black-breasted bird, with gray wings, a black head, and a white streak under both eyes, started repeating it. "Wow. Why hadn't I noticed the chatterdees before?" Bulma muttered before mimicking Toriyama's whistle. "Back home we use them to signal all the time." The younger girl stated like this was nothing new. When the last note faded from the forest, Bulma hugged the tiny Competitor before making her way towards the Cornucopia. "Here goes nothing." She mumbled to herself, "I've spent every day in here running _away_ from them and now, here I am, running _towards_ them. What would Vegeta say about this?" '_He'd probably call me an idiot._'

* * *

Bulma made it the Cornucopia with ten minutes to spare before Toriyama was to light the first fire. As she settled down under a bush, Bulma watched carefully as Zarbon, Dodoria, Recoome, and the boy from Region 3 milled about the clearing. Recalling that Region 3 was known as the Tech Region, Bulma wondered what the boy had said to Zarbon that convinced him to spare his life. Toriyama was right about the pile, they had the supplies stacked up in a pyramid in the center of humongous dirt circle. '_But why?_' kept bouncing around in her genius head. Then she saw smoke off in the distance and grinned as the Careers took off in that direction.

Unfortunately, the boy from 3 was ordered to stay behind. "Just great." Bulma muttered. Just then she noticed a streak of plum red dash from the forest to her left. It was the girl Competitor from Region 5, her red hair twisted up into a high bun that bounced as she ran. She stopped at the edge of the dirt border, pausing to see if the boy guarding it had seen her. Since he hadn't, she bounded on nimble feet in a complex pattern to the supplies at the center where she grabbed only a handful of food before retracing her steps and made a break for the safety of the trees. Well, the boy from 3 heard must have heard something because he walked right past Bulma's hiding place and into the trees where the girl from 5 had disappeared.

Smacking her forehead, Bulma felt like an idiot for not connecting the dots sooner. '_The mines! He must have reactivated them. That's useful._' Bulma decided that she would not use more than two arrows, now all she has to do is find a good target. It'd have to be something that would have the best chance at setting off multiple mines cause the more mines she can set off, the better her chances are at starting a chain reaction that would blow up the pyramid. As she analyzed the pile for the weakest point, Bulma knew that she was running out time since she had no way of knowing when the boy would be back. Then her blue eyes landed on a bag of apples and oranges near the top of the stack, '_That'll do._' Boldly stepping out of the shadows, Bulma moved closer to the pyramid since she wasn't as accurate as Vegeta.

'_He probably could've shot it from the bush and only used one arrow._' Bulma thought as she nocked an arrow, pulled it back, and lined up her shot. Taking a deep breath, Bulma exhaled slowly and released the arrow. It skimmed the bottom of the canvas bag but it didn't split it like she had hoped it would. She repeated the steps that Vegeta had told her the one day she spent in the woods with him. This time the bag split and the fruit started bouncing down the pyramid. Quickly turning and running, Bulma almost made it back to her bush when the explosions happened, throwing her the rest of the way.

As she laid there assessing her body, Bulma watched the aftermath of her daring plan. The boy came rushing back and dropped his spear at the sight of the destroyed supplies, surely he knew that there was no explaining his way out of this. Zarbon and Dodoria ran into the clearing and stopped dead at the scene laid before them. Stalking towards the smaller boy, Zarbon yelled something at him but Bulma couldn't make it out since her ears were still ringing from the blast; and to her horror, Zarbon snapped the kid's neck like it was nothing. Bulma knew that she wasn't safe there, but she didn't want to move until she could hear if she was making any noise or not, so she waited. Eventually, the ringing stopped and Bulma quietly made her way back to where she and Toriyama had agreed to meet after it was done.

* * *

Once she got to the meeting place, Bulma whistled Toriyama's four-note tune and smiled as the chatterdees began bouncing the short melody back and forth. Suddenly a scream pierced the air. Bulma jolted at the sound because it was the scream of a terrified little girl; who was calling for her. Not thinking, the bluenette ran as fast as her legs would carry her towards the sounds. There on the ground, pinned under a net, laid Toriyama with a caramel hand reaching desperately for Bulma. Wasting no time, Bulma got her knife out and cut her friend free of her confines. As soon as she was able to move, the young girl hugged Bulma tightly, "Thank you." "You're fine now. Everything'll be ok." Bulma soothed.

A twig snapped, shattering the peaceful moment. Pushing Toriyama out of the way, Bulma grabbed the bow from where she dropped it and shot Recoome dead center in his chest. But not before he had thrown his spear; right into little Toriyama. Bulma knew that pulling the weapon out would only kill her faster, so she left it where it landed and helped the short girl to the ground. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Toriyama." Bulma apologized with tears welling in her clear blue eyes.

Gently laying the girl's head in her lap, Bulma held her soft hand and stroked her brown hair as Toriyama struggled to speak, "Did you destroy the food?" Nodding, Bulma sniffed, "Yeah. Every last bit of it." She looked up at Bulma's face, jade eyes pleading, "Can… Can you sing?" A wet, twisted chuckle escaped Bulma's lips, what song would be appropriate to sing to someone who's dying? Remembering Vegeta's favorite song, Bulma cleared her throat and began to sing the haunting lyrics.

_Deep in the forest_

_ Under the branches_

_ A bed of grass_

_ A soft green pillow_

_ Lay down your head_

_ Now close your eyes_

_ And when you awake_

_ The sun will rise_

_ Here it's safe_

_ Here it's cool_

_ Here the birds keep_

_ You from every harm_

_ Here your dreams are sweet_

_ And tomorrow may bring them true_

_ This is the place where I love you_

_ Deep in the forest_

_ Hidden from every eye_

_ A veil of leaves_

_ A moonbeam ray_

_ Forget your miseries_

_ And lay your troubles down_

_ And when morning comes_

_ They'll all wash away_

_ Here it's safe_

_ Here it's cool_

_ Here the birds keep_

_ You from every harm_

_ Here your dreams are sweet_

_ And tomorrow may bring them true_

_ This is the place where I love you_

As Bulma finished the lullaby, she looked down to see that Toriyama had passed away during the song. The chatterdees picked up the melody and repeated it three more times while Bulma let her tears fall freely down her face. "Why?! Why you?! Why her?!" Bulma screamed at the sky when the birds fell silent. "Why me?" She whispered to herself as she stood. Two cannons fired, signaling the end of Recoome Soskin and Toriyama Bird. One a fighter and the other who only wished for freedom.

Deciding to honor her friend, Bulma gathered all the flowers that were growing nearby and placed them around Toriyama's body. She saved a few to make a bouquet and daisy chain crown, placing those in her hands and on her head last. "There. You look every bit the Winner you should've been." Bulma whispered to the dead child who should've had the chance to live. Pausing at the edge of the clearing, Bulma couldn't leave without saying goodbye, so she held a fist to her chest before raising it above her head and spread her fingers wide. With her final goodbye said, Bulma turned and walked away into the woods.

* * *

Sitting with her back to a log, Bulma cried as she wondered, "Why me? Why did I get to live while such a sweet, innocent little girl had to die? Why do people have to die?!" She slammed her fists on the ground in frustration, all she was doing was showing how weak she was and asking these questions into the air wasn't doing her any good. Unexpectedly, the melodiously sarcastic voice of Cell rang throughout the Arena, "Hello, Competitors. Just to let you know, there's been a rule change! Now if the last two Competitors are from the same Region, _both_ will be declared Winners. I wish you the best of luck, Competitors!" Bulma let the new information sink in before realizing that she hadn't seen Vegeta's face in the night sky. "That must mean he's alive." Bulma nearly shouted before catching herself. With newfound purpose, she settled in a tree for the night because tomorrow, she was going Vegeta-hunting.


	19. Chapter 19

19

Vegeta laid under his rocky overhang for five nights. Each one more unbearable than the last because of his wound. It was infected, he knew that much, but he couldn't check to see how bad it truly was without disturbing his camouflage. Though poorly done even if one did not compare it to Bulma's, Vegeta knew that he would not be able to fix what would be messed up if he moved. So there he laid, unmoving; hungry and thirsty as infection spread through his body. His only source of comfort was the fact that his Woman was still alive. _I told you Zarbon, Bulma Briefs was never going to be an easy target._

* * *

Soft, light steps pulled at his conscience, his body whispering of impending danger. As the footsteps came closer, Vegeta became more awake and aware. Smiling to himself as he recognized this person's gait, Vegeta waited until they were right next to him. Swiftly grabbing their ankle, Vegeta wasn't expecting her to kick him, "Oomph." "Vegeta!" Bulma cried, kneeling down to pull him out of his hiding place. "Took you long enough, Woman." Vegeta ground out in pain as he was moved. Studying his camouflage, Bulma grinned, "Looks like all that time at that '_useless_ _station'_ paid off, huh? Let's get you cleaned up." He crossed his arms and scowled, reluctant to admit that she was right; or that he couldn't get up without help. Not liking his reaction, Bulma pressed onward, "You're going to the river, mister. Even if I have to drag you myself." _You just might._ Vegeta thought bitterly as she pulled one of his arms over her shoulder and started to pull him to his feet.

Gingerly hobbling to the water's edge, muffled groans escaped his lips every time Vegeta put the slightest amount of weight on his right leg. Now that they were finally there, Bulma let Vegeta lower himself to the ground, "There," she huffed, "now let's get you cleaned up so the cameras can see that handsome face of yours." Starting with his jacket, Bulma was shocked to discover that all he had underneath it was his breastplate. "Vegeta… where's your shirt?" "It's still on me, Woman." He answered cryptically. "No. It's not." Bulma shot back, placing a hand on his stomach to see if he had a temperature, which he did. She pulled her hand back, shocked, "You're burning up, Vegeta." Nonchalantly shrugging as he laid down on the rocks, Vegeta yawned, "Probably from the leg wound." "What leg wound?" Bulma asked worriedly. "Zarbon's… sword… right…" Vegeta yawned as his eyes drifted closed and he fell into an undesired slumber.

Deciding to keep going with her plan to wash the mud off of her best friend, Bulma plunged his jacket into the water and set to scrubbing. Once she declared it clean enough, Bulma laid the jacket out on a rock to dry in the sun. Next, she removed his pants, which would've been much easier if he was awake to assist her but even her tugging and pulling did not awaken the sleeping Prince, which made her even more uneasy. "Just how bad off are you?" She wondered as she washed the week-old grim away. After laying the pants out beside the jacket, Bulma filled her water bottle and began to wash his face. It took two full bottles for her to see his angular cheeks and another bottle and a half to clean his face completely. Vegeta woke up to Bulma dumping the rest of the water on his head, sputtering, "Wha… What'd you do that for?" "To wake you up, silly." Bulma smirked as she stood to check on his jacket and pants.

Finding them still slightly damp, she walked back to her patient, "Which leg is hurt?" "The right one. I told you that. Were you not paying attention, _again,_ Woman?" Vegeta snapped, although he did feel better now that the mud was off his face. Bulma huffed, "You fell asleep while talking. How was I supposed to know what you were saying?" Sitting down beside his right leg, Bulma finally saw the black cloths wrapped around his thigh. Slowly unwrapping it, she soon discovered that blood and pus was making the make-shift bandages stick to the wound. So she filled her water bottle again and used the liquid to carefully work the material free. As she removed the last strip of fabric Bulma finally got to see just how bad the wound truly was; while the gash was maybe four inches long, it was easily two inches deep. Quite literally the only thing that kept it from going to the bone was how muscular Vegeta was.

"It… it's not that bad." Bulma stuttered as she gathered up the remains of Vegeta's shirt and went to wash them, seeing as she needed a minute to collect herself. "Don't lie to me, Bulma. I know it's bad," Vegeta said to her back as she worked. Jabbering on, which was totally out of character of Vegeta, "I've felt the infection grow each day. And all I could do was lay there and let it." He propped himself up on his elbows to watch Bulma scrub the bandages clean so they could reuse them, "What took you so long to find me?"

"I found Toriyama Bird, the little girl from Region 11. Remember her?" Bulma called over her shoulder, when she heard Vegeta's grunt in acknowledgment she continued, "We paired up for a couple of days after I woke up for the beesuer… dreams? I guess that's the word for them. Anyway, she put these leaves on my stings for me while I was out and stuck around until I woke up." Reaching for the bow she had sat next to him, Vegeta questioned, "And where is the Little One then?" Bulma paused, the grief was still too near, and whispered, "She died." "Ah," Vegeta's eyebrows raised, "so who caught her?" Unexpectedly, Bulma whorled around on him, hissing, "What?!" Knowing that he had made a mistake, Vegeta quickly clarified, "In her Interview she said, and I quote, '_they_ _can't_ _kill_ _me_ _if_ _they_ _can't_ _catch_ _me_.' So, who caught her? It's an innocent question, Bulma." "Recoome." She ground out as she turned back to scrubbing furiously at the stained bandages.

After wringing the water out, Bulma laid the pieces of cloth out where the now dry jacket was laying. "Here." She handed him the black jacket. As Vegeta was putting an arm in a sleeve, Bulma stopped him, "No, Vegeta, I need to wash your underwear." Understanding now, Vegeta scowled unhappily, "Fine. Give me my arrows then." He draped the jacket over his waist and began to wiggle out of his boxers. Once he had it down to his knees Bulma took it off the rest of the way for him after passing the quiver to him.

With all of Vegeta's clothes now washed, Bulma now turned her focus to his leg wound. Bulma reached to move the jacket out of the way when Vegeta gripped her wrist, snarling, "_What_ do you think you're _doing_, Woman?" "I have to tend to it, Vegeta." Bulma snapped, weakly attempting to pull her wrist free. Reluctantly releasing her, Vegeta rested a hand over his… 'wife-only region' so she would not accidentally see it. _Maybe you could have… if our paths had taken a different route._ Sharp, stinging pain brought him out of his musings, his onyx eyes snapping down to see her holding his flesh open and pouring water into the wound.

Vegeta held his tongue the whole time Bulma worked on cleaning his cut, despite the stream of cruses dancing on the tip of his tongue. "That's the best I can do without medicine." Bulma stated as she wrapped him with the dry, clean-ish bandages. "It'll have to do. Hand me my clothes, Woman; we've stayed out in the open long enough." Dressing as quickly as his injury would allow, Vegeta was ready to move in under ten minutes. "Let's head upstream. It looks like the rocks get bigger farther ahead, maybe there's a cave or outcropping we can use as shelter." Vegeta suggested as Bulma helped him stand.

Their progress was excruciatingly slow because Vegeta couldn't put hardly any weight on his right leg. When they stopped for a breather, more for Bulma's sake since she was practically carrying Vegeta, he spied a large eagle perched on top of a boulder. His hands, shaky from hunger, nocked an arrow and shot it. _Finally. Food._ "Woman, go get our supper. We'll have to wait on cooking it though, I'm ready to get out of the open." Vegeta ordered. As soon as Bulma returned to his side with his catch, they resumed their search for cover.

The sun was hanging low in the sky over the Arena by the time they stumbled upon the cave they were hoping for. Vegeta inspected it as they entered, "It's small; but it'll do until I'm healed enough to move on my own." Dropping her backpack and the bird, Bulma began to leave the cave. "Where are you going, Woman?" Vegeta barked gruffly, _She doesn't need to be alone now that I'm with Her._ "_I'm_ going to get firewood so _you_ don't have to eat raw meat tonight." Bulma declared as she marched outside, smirking to herself because Vegeta couldn't follow her even if he tried. This afternoon had shown her that.

* * *

Hearing scuffling just outside the mouth of the cave, Vegeta was on high alert and had an arrow at the ready. But as soon as he saw her blue hair all the tension in his body melted away, for a split second, "Bulma! Don't sneak like that." "Well, how else am I supposed to 'sneak'?" She huffed, dropping the wood in her arms. "I meant around me. I was ready to shoot you. Thank goodness for your unsightly hair." Vegeta mumbled the last bit but Bulma still heard it. Dejectedly, Bulma began to clean the eagle for cooking, "I know. That's the first thing you said to me, remember? '_Aren't you a little young to be wearing a wig?_'" "No." Vegeta corrected her as he began to build the fire, "The first thing I said to you was, '_Your_ _hair_. _It's_ _blue_.' And at the time I honestly thought it was a wig. Could you blame me? I was five." An uncomfortable silence settled over the small cave as both strong-willed teens waited for the other to speak.

Eventually, Vegeta leaned back against the wall of the cave and patted the ground beside him, silently asking her to sit next to him. Rolling her crystal blue eyes, Bulma moved from her spot near the fire and settled next to him. And to her surprise, Vegeta put his arm around her shoulder. "Vegeta; what's going on?" He smirked at her, not so different than the one he had the morning of the Calling, "Oh come now, I haven't had a moment with you to myself since the night before the Games. Can you blame me for wanting you close?" Bulma couldn't help the soft smile she gave him, Vegeta always knew what to say to bring out the softer side of her; the harsher side of her too.

Snuggling into his warm side, Bulma said, "I blew up the Careers supplies." His smirk grew wide as a chuckle escaped him, "Heh. I figured that was what happened." Suddenly a thought dawned on him, "Wait, when did you learn how to shoot?" "Remember that day you took me out...nughff." Vegeta's rough, dry lips pressed over her soft, supple for a moment then he pulled away, lingering just out of reach before bringing a hand to the back of her head and pulled her in close. With her hair hiding his lips, he whispered, "_Careful,_ Woman, we can still be punished for leaving the fence. Even in here. Now's the time to show me how good of an actress you are." Bulma's mouth went into a thin line as she pulled back and slapped him across the face, yelping indigently, "I thought you were a Prince?" "I am." His signature smirk replacing his shock as he gripped her chin gently, "But I'm also a man." Chastely kissing her forehead, Vegeta released the Woman so she could tend to the food.

Now that Vegeta had food in his belly and water for his thirst, he began to feel the familiar pull of sleep tugging at his eyelids. _No._ His inky black eyes shot open, _I must guard Her. I must protect my Woman._ But Bulma could tell that he was exhausted as Vegeta fought to stay awake. "It's ok, Vegeta. You should rest." She spoke softly, sensing that this was a pride-thing. "Nonsense, Woman." Vegeta growled, his tone prideful, "I've left you on your own long enough. Tonight you sleep while I stand guard." Pausing to consider her next attack, Bulma hummed into the silence, "What if we took turns? That way we both get some sleep." _Very tactful, Bulma._ Vegeta thought before his body would not let him fight it any longer and he drifted off the forests around Region 12, chasing after a streak of blue hair.

* * *

_Vegeta stalked under the trees of his old familiar hunting grounds while the chatterdees were singing any song that comes to mind. A flash of blue passed through the foliage up ahead. He grinned to himself, _She's making this too easy._ Hurriedly making his way to where his target was last seen but, as he expected, she was long gone. Gazing at the ground, Vegeta spotted her trail and followed it. It felt like he followed that faint trail forever, only catching glimpses of her blue hair and the chatterdees repeating her warbling laughter._

_Then he began to find blood. It started with only a few drops but within a few hundred yards it looked like a massacre had taken place. That's when Vegeta started to worry, '_Bulma? Where are you?'_ Suddenly he heard a _very_ different laugh; one that sent shudders down his spine. Throwing caution to the wind, Vegeta sprinted into a clearing and what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. In the middle of a field of flowers stood a pale-faced man, a little shorter then Vegeta, in a silver suit with purple pinstripes. '_Freeza_.' Vegeta growled, dropping into a defensive stance. His dark purple lips twisted in a frighteningly evil smile, '_Vegeta! How nice of you to join us._' Bulma materialized next to the tyrant, his hand wrapped around her milky throat, her clear blue eyes wide with fear; and hope._

'Tell me, Vegeta, do you love her?_' Freeza questioned in his slimy voice. Keeping his gaze leveled at Bulma, Vegeta whispered, '_Yes._'_ _'_Good._'_ _ The evil man purred as he tightened his grip on the blue woman's airways, '_Then my time here wasn't wasted_.' He raised his other hand to point a gun at Vegeta, who flinched but didn't waver. '_Oh, don't worry, Vegeta_. _I've wasted enough bullets on filthy monkeys_.' The gun shifted to rest against Bulma's temple, her strawberry lips mouthing '_I love you_' as a lone tear slide down her cheek. Then the gun fired…_


	20. Chapter 20

20

"BULMA!" Vegeta shot awake in the unfamiliar dark of the cave. His mind caught up to his surroundings as he remembered where he was but the problem still remained. Bulma wasn't there. Relief washed over him as Bulma came scurrying through the entrance, panting, "What's wrong?" Reaching for her, Vegeta knew that he was appearing weak, _Forget about them. I need Her now._ The look on his face was what drew her into his open arms, "Vegeta? Is everything alright?" "It is now." He breathed against her hair; whispering as he pulled back to gaze to her face, "Now that you're here." As Vegeta beheld Bulma's perfect porcelain face his eyes were drawn to her lips, those same strawberry lips that tried to speak to him before her death. Desperate to forget that scene, Vegeta bridged the gap and pressed his lips to hers. Moaning into the kiss, Bulma moved her smooth lips against his rough ones, deepening the kiss. Gradually his Woman wiped every trace of his nightmare away, much to Vegeta's relief and delight. His hands found purchase on her waist as her arms looped themselves around his neck and her hands buried in his thick, black hair.

The sound of beeping near the mouth of their cave broke them apart as Vegeta growled possessively, clutching Bulma closer. "Vegeta, relax. It's just parachute. Has Piccolo sent you anything?" Bulma wondered as she pushed against his hold. "No." Vegeta wasn't ready to let her go just yet, he didn't know what he'd do if she died. _I'd probably go insane._ She pushed against his chest again, "Maybe this is for you." Releasing her, he snarled, "Fine. Just don't get yourself killed, Woman. I don't know what'd do without you and I don't think I'm ready to find out just yet." Cocking her head to the side, Bulma frowned at his strange words, thinking, '_He must be really sick if he's talking this openly._' Then she went to retrieve their gift, Bulma hoped it would be medicine. It wasn't.

She returned with a small tin in hand. "Medicine?" Vegeta asked, positive that it would be what was contained within the small, deep tin. "Broth." Bulma replied dejectedly, sitting cross-legged next to him as she opened it. The broth was still warm, Vegeta could see the steam wafting off the clear-ish brown liquid. He frowned, "Why would the Drunk send me that? Surely he knows that I need medicine more than food." Silencing his would-be rant with a peck on the cheek, Bulma rocked back and picked up the spoon, "There was a note with it. It said, _Trust me._ Mr. Piccolo knows what's going on outside of our cave better then we do, so we're just going to trust him. Now, eat your soup."

Bravely doing what only she could, Bulma stuck a spoonful of broth straight into Vegeta's mouth. When she pulled it out he sputtered indigently, "I can feed myself, Woman." "I know." She smiled as she stuck the spoon back in, "But I want to. Is there anything wrong with me wanting to help my best friend get better?" Scowling at her, Vegeta grunted and crossed his arms, holding the spoon in his mouth this time so she couldn't pull it free so easily. "You're being a child, Vegeta." Bulma sighed as she rolled her eyes so hard she thought they might pop out. Though he was still pouting, Vegeta allowed her to retake the utensil and continue to feed him. "There. Was that so hard?" Bulma cooed, tapping his nose.

Once Bulma was settled against his side, Vegeta mumbled lowly, "Thank you." "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I couldn't quite hear you." But her smile showed her lie. Chuckling deeply, Vegeta's voice rumbled, "I'm not used to help, Bulma. Saiyans are warriors, and as such, we are taught to rely on no one but ourselves. Nappa once told me that our people get stronger after coming back from the brink of death. I wonder if he's right?" "I'm not sure I want to find out." Bulma stated sharply.

Suddenly Cell's voice rang throughout the Arena, "Hello, Competitors! I would like to extend an invitation to a Banquet at the Cornucopia at sunrise tomorrow. Now, before you dismiss my _generous_ invitation, this will quite unlike any Banquet you have ever seen. Because each one of you needs something _desperately_, and I plan on being a 'fair' Game Master. I'd advise you to get some sleep tonight, Competitors; and I wish you all the best of luck tomorrow." Vegeta clamped his arm down, pinning Bulma to his side, growling, "You're _not_ going." Freeing herself far easier then she should've been able to, Bulma snapped back, "Why not?! You heard Cell! You desperately need medicine and that means that your medicine will be there." She rubbed her face, "Look, Vegeta, we both know you're not going to make it more than another day or two without _some sort_ of medicine." "Did you just call me _weak_, Woman?" Vegeta ground out, anger dancing in his onyx eyes.

Undeterred by his rage, brilliant blue eyes pierced his black orbs, "So what if I am? A strong man knows when to trust his woman." Bulma leaned in, whispering seductively, "So what's it's going to be, Prince? Are you strong? Or are you weak?" Snarling at the blue-haired woman that had captured his heart, Vegeta turned away from those pouty red lips, _Why does She have to do this to me _now_ of all times? If we were back in 12, I would've dragged her to the Justice Building and married her already. She can't go alone because if she dies, then all of this was for nothing. But I can't go with her; I'm struggling to stay awake as it is._ "Fine. Go to the Banquet. But if you get hurt, so help me, I'll make sure you never forget it. Although, I do have one request, Bulma." "What is it?"

Turning back, Vegeta gently held her face in his hands, his voice thick with unspoken emotion, "Don't die for me. I'm not worth your life." Grabbing one of his hands, Bulma questioned, "How can you say that? What could you have done that would make me _not_ want to die for you?" As he gazed into her clear blue orbs, her's searching for an answer, Vegeta inhaled before he drew her into a kiss. Reluctant to pull away, even as his head swam and his lungs screamed for oxygen, Vegeta was eventually forced to heed his body's demands. "Now rest, Woman. Dawn will be here before we know it." Relaxing against his side, Bulma laid her head on his chest and asked, "Can you tell me a story?" Surprised by her request, Vegeta humored her, "What kind of story?" "Annnny kind." She yawned as Vegeta laid an arm over her protectively. "Ok, then." He hummed for a minute before settling on a story.

"It was a cold, windy day when my Father first saw my Mother. Her straight, black hair settled in the small of her back. She was wearing a lavender dress and the wind caught it as she walked. Dad said what caught his attention was her silver eyes. He said that he saw a hidden strength laying within those silvery pools and she walked with such purpose and power that no man could ignore her presence. They met at one of President Freeza's parties where there was food, drinks, and dancing. Now my Father wasn't one for dancing but he noticed that no one approached my Mother the whole night, so he wandered over and asked if she would like to dance. Mom agreed and followed Dad onto the dance floor. They danced the night away, Dad told his lame jokes and Mom laughed at them all the while. After the last song ended and the party was over, Dad introduced himself and asked for her name, Mom answered, '_Karin_.' That's it, she didn't give him a last name.

"As the weeks marched on, my Father couldn't get Mom out of his head. He tried everything; work, training, hanging out with Nappa and Bardock, anything to get his mind off Karin. But nothing was working. They met again at another party a few weeks later and this time Dad walked straight up to Mom and ask if he could escort her that evening. Mom agreed and they spent the whole night together, Dad even walked her home afterwards. Not too long after that second party, Dad contacted Mom and asked if she was seeing anybody, she said, '_Yes_. _He's a_ _bit_ _taller_ _than_ _me_, _with_ _black_, _spiky_ _hair_ _that_ _looks_ _like_ _flames_, _and_ _he_ _has_ _these_ _gorgeous_ _black_ _eyes_ _that_ _remind_ _me_ _of_ _the_ _night_ _sky_.' My Father believed that she was seeing someone else for a second, until she described him. They dated and courted for almost a year.

"It was at President Freeza's yearly late-fall party, where they had first met, that my Father proposed to my Mother. He got the band to play the same song that they first danced to and had hidden his grandmother's brooch in his pocket. They danced that whole night and the band played his request as the last song of the night. When the last note faded Dad got down on one knee and presented Mom with the pin, asking if she would be his Mate. As you can guess, Mom said yes. And she wore that pin until the day she died."

Looking down, Vegeta saw that Bulma was fast asleep. Chuckling to himself, Vegeta murmured, "And that's why I gave it to you, Bulma. Even at twelve years old, I knew that there'd be no one else for me. Whoooo knooowwws?" Vegeta yawned, "Maybe Perfect Cell will be a fair Game Master and we'll both get to go home. Maybe we'll have a chance to be together after all." With that final thought, the Saiyan Prince drifted off to sleep. Little did he know, Bulma was wide awake and heard every word.


	21. Chapter 21

21

When she was sure that he was asleep, Bulma carefully extracted herself from his embrace. She debated on leaving the bow with Vegeta, but only for a moment. Deciding to leave him the knife instead, Bulma slung the quiver across her back and gripped the metallic blue bow tightly. Clutching her pin as she paused in the entrance, Bulma glanced back at the snoring Saiyan and whispered, "I'm sorry, Vegeta, but you are worth dying for. No matter what you think or what anybody has told you. You're worth it to me." Then she pulled the hood of her jacket up to cover her blue hair and stepped out into the moonlit forest. '_Let's just hope that no one found my hiding place from blowing up the mines._'

* * *

Bulma arrived at the Cornucopia an hour before sunrise, '_Good. That took me less time then I thought it would._' It felt like it took forever for the sky to start to change colors. '_Finally!_' Bulma got ready, she'd have to be fast if she wanted to get out of there without a fight. As the sky was beginning to take on a pink tinge, a long table rose from the ground a few feet from the mouth of the Cornucopia. On it was four bags, each marked with a number corresponding to a Region; 2, 5, 11, and 12. '_So there's only six of us left, if I remember correctly._' Suddenly movement; a flash of red appeared, grabbed the bag labeled 5, and darted for the woods on Bulma's left. '_Shoot! No time to waste now._'

Ditching her hiding place, Bulma booked it across the open field and managed to reach the table in under a minute. Not stopping as she snagged their bag, she looped around the table and started towards the woods in the same direction the girl from 5 had gone. Just as Bulma cleared the edge of the Cornucopia, a knife came out of nowhere and barely caught her on the forehead. Blood was gushing from the cut above her left eyebrow, obscuring part of her vision. Immediately after Bulma felt the knife, she was knocked to the ground. Pinned under a great amount of weight, Bulma struggled and trashed against it, she just hoped it wasn't Zarbon.

"Well, if it ain't Veggie's little woman." Dodoria drawled as she pushed a knife to Bulma's throat. "Say, where is the Prince of Fools anyway? Don't tell me Zarbon actually killed him?" The pudgy girl moved her neck to flick her long, strawberry blond hair out of her face as she chuckled at her own joke. '_They don't know. I can use that._' "Vegeta! Vegeta…" Bulma screamed until the pressure from the steel cut her off. Dodoria chided her soon-to-be victim, "Ah, ah, ah. None of that." She pulled out another, smaller knife designed for throwing, "You know what I love about kids, Blue? They don't leave as much of a mess after I kill them. Kinda like your little friend. What was her name?" Dodoria tapped the tip of the blade against her lip in thought, unfazed by Bulma heated glare. Chocolate brown eyes lit up, "Toriyama. That was her name. Well, we killed her and now I'm gonna kill you. And with you gone, Vegeta will have nothing to live for." Dodoria raised her hand high to plunge the small knife into Bulma's body. Closing her eyes, Bulma cried out in her head, '_I'm sorry, Vegeta._'

But the pain never came. Unexpectedly, Bulma felt Dodoria's weight lift off of her, causing her to open her eyes. In front of her was a giant of a man, his close-cropped red hair had started to grow out on the sides of his head, and he held the hefty Career by her throat. "You killed Bird?!" Sixteen yelled in Dodoria's face, which was rapidly turning pink from his tight hold on her. "No…" Dodoria tried shaking her head but Sixteen's grip was too tight. Desperately wanting to live, she shouted, "Zarbon!" But it was too late for her, the mountain of a teen threw his pray into the side of the metal Cornucopia, breaking her neck.

He turned, icy blue eyes focused on Bulma with such intensity that she feared she would suffer the same fate as Dodoria. Instead, to her surprise, Sixteen held a hand out and helped Bulma to her feet. "Just this time, 12. For Toriyama." He gave her a tiny smile, "Life is good, but living in fear is not my idea of living." As swiftly as he appeared, Sixteen Gero disappeared amongst the trees. "Thank you." Bulma whispered as she grabbed Vegeta's bag and bow, whistling Toriyama's four-note tune to let the ginger know she was thankful for his help.

* * *

It was nearing noon when Bulma made it back to their little cave. She had taken the long way just in case someone was following her. To her surprise, Vegeta was still asleep when she got back. At least she hoped he was asleep. '_Don't think like that. You would've heard a cannon if he'd…_' Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Bulma knelt down beside the teen and shook his shoulder, "Vegeta. Vegeta, time to wake up. Come on, wake up. Vegeta, you're scaring me." Her voice trembled as she started shaking him harder. When that wasn't working, Bulma slapped his face and yelled, "Vegeta! Wake up!" Well, that did it. Vegeta's black eyes shot open and he pounced on her, pushing her to the ground and pinned her arms above her head. Growling at the intruder, Vegeta slowly blinked and his vision came into focus, "Bulma?" He scrambled away as if she had burned him. Clearing his throat to cover his hasty retreat, Vegeta asked, "What happened? How long was I out?" Then he noticed the cut on her forehead and his expression darkened, "_Who hurt you_?"

Bulma waved him off, she was used to his anger, as she set about opening the bag from the Banquet, "Dodoria nicked me with a knife, it's fine. I'm fine, Vegeta." Inside the small-ish black sack was another small tin, but this one was the same blue as Vegeta's bow. Holding the bag upside down to make sure that she hadn't missed anything, Bulma was surprised when a tiny glass bottle appeared on the ground. "What's this?" She asked as she picked it up, the liquid inside was crystal clear. So clear that she thought it was water. But Vegeta knew it wasn't, and grunted, "Pour it on my leg."

He recognized the strong smell of the secretly made alcohol often found at the Market, even Dende would use it to clean wounds and his healing instruments. Bulma looked at him confused, "But I've already cleaned your leg with water." Tiredly reaching for her hand, Vegeta sighed, exhausted, "It's not water, Woman. It's MoonWater, a cheap spirit. And a fast death if made wrong. MoonWater has to be clear as water to be safe to drink or used for medical purposes. It probably came from the Drunk's own stash…" His eyelids slide shut for a moment before Vegeta forced them back open, _No sleep. Must stay awake._ "Bulma." He rasped, pulling her eyes from the tiny bottle in her hand, "Do as I say. Pour it on my leg. _Please_." At his whispered plea Bulma nodded resolutely to herself and scooted around to the other side of him.

After she unwrapped his thigh, Vegeta tried to maneuver her to straddle his leg but he was quickly losing his strength. Understanding what he wanted her to do, Bulma knelt on his right leg, just above his knee but below the wound. Wearily resting his head on her shoulder, Vegeta nuzzled her neck, using his nose to push her jacket and shirt to the side and placed his mouth at the junction where her neck and shoulder meet. She felt him take a deep breath so she drizzled the strong alcohol into the wound.

Biting down harder then he meant too, Vegeta tasted blood as he muffled his screams the only way he could. And the only one who knew how much pain he was in was the one he loved. Once the bottle was empty, Bulma lifted Vegeta's head gently and pushed him back against the wall so she could pat the wound dry and apply the blue salve from the Banquet. "Thank you." He breathed as he reached out, dipping a figure into the blue tin and smearing it onto her cut. Vegeta mumbled one last thing to Bulma as sleep overtook him, "_I'm sorry._"


	22. Chapter 22

22

Vegeta slept for two days. His fever finally broke after the first day but his length of rest was starting to make the blue-haired inventor nervous. "Please wake up, Vegeta. I don't know what I'd do without you." Bulma chuckled dryly to herself, "One thing's for sure though, I'd finally be able to sleep without you barging in through my window… but then I'd have no one to wake up to. There's Yamcha, but his not really my type. Not like I first thought." She glanced over at the sleeping Prince, '_He looks so peaceful._' "Remember, Vegeta? We were eleven and school had just started back."

"Yamcha ran up to me as we walked into the schoolyard. You growled at him like you usually did, but it didn't scare him away that day. The wind played with his black hair as he spoke, '_Hey,_ _Babe_. _I_ _was_ _wondering_ _if_ _you_ _would want to_ _eat_ _lunch_ _with_ _me_ _today_?' Before I could answer, you grabbed him by his shirt collar and whispered something in his ear. Knowing you, it was probably a threat of some sort. Yamcha's face went white and he wobbled back as you let go. Then you looked at me with a raised eyebrow, as if you were asking me, _Who do you want_? Since I didn't want you two to fight, I told Yamcha I'd let him know at lunch if we were sitting together or not. And when I turned, you had a dark glare leveled at him, then stalked into the school like you would've blown it up if you could've.

"I only ate with Yamcha that day because I couldn't find you. And then you had the audacity to yell at me for eating with him? That was possibly our best fight though. We both yelled and screamed until we were blue in the face and saw only red." Bulma pulled her knees up, sadness creeping into her voice, "I still remember the last words you said to me that day. '_If you want the Weakling so bad, then go for it. I'm not stopping you._' Those words made me want to spend time with Yamcha just to aggravate you. So I did. Everybody says me and Yamcha dated but we didn't. We hung out maybe three or four times outside of school in the month after that argument with you.

"But that all stopped after Launch told me she'd seen him kissing another girl. He hadn't even kissed me yet, and he had the gall to kiss someone else? Although, you surprised me when you appeared in my window that night. You hadn't been inside my house since the argument. When you asked me what was wrong, I just couldn't hold back the tears any longer and bawled into your shoulder. And you just let me, you even tucked me into bed after I had cried myself to sleep.

"The next day, I heard people shouting in the field near the fence so I went to investigate. Lo and behold, in the middle of a giant circle of kids from school, were you and Yamcha. You had him on the ropes the whole time, I could tell by your smirk, but you let him get in a punch here or there to let Yamcha feel like he had a chance. Then you had enough of toying with him and tackled him to the ground, landing quite a few hits before some of the Freeza Force showed up and broke you two apart. I knew that day that Yamcha was not someone that I would want to marry. Although, I still don't know how he got that scar on his cheek…"

"And you never will." Vegeta rasped, his throat dry. "Vegeta!" Bulma launched herself at him. Pulling back slightly, she lightly punched his chest, "You had me worried, you jerk. Don't you ever do that again." He chuckled, "No promises, Woman." When Vegeta cleared his throat again, Bulma instantly passed him the water bottle which he took and downed the contents in three long gulps. When he pulled the bottle away, Vegeta noticed that the cut above her left eye was gone. Tenderly gripping her chin, Vegeta marveled, "Your wound. It's healed. And there's not even a scar." Letting go of Bulma, he looked at his leg where his wound was. It was no longer there but it had left its mark. In the place of a gapping cut full of infection was an angry red scar. _Huh. Kinda surprised it took me this long to get a scar._ Determined to test his strength, Vegeta gently pushed Bulma off as he started to stand for the first time in four days.

Rising to his full height of almost five and a half feet, Vegeta stretched his sore, underused muscles and moved through a couple of katas. His deep, rumbling laughter bounced off the cave walls, "It's true. Maybe Nappa's not such an idiot for believing those old stories after all." "What are you talking about, Vegeta? What's true?" Bulma's scientific mind was getting the better of her. "Saiyans are said to become stronger after surviving death; which I now know to be true. And if that's true, then chances are the Legendary is true too." A blue eyebrow cocked at him, "What's the Legendary?"

Sitting down heavily, Vegeta crossed his legs as he recalled everything he'd heard about the Legendary, "A mighty Saiyan warrior. It's said that only the Royal Family could achieve it. You see, Woman, the Legendary is not just the average Saiyan warrior. It transcends into a realm of strength and power that even President Freeza fears because nothing can hurt it. And once the Legendary is focused on something or someone, nothing can stop it. It's even said that the eyes and hair of the Legendary change colors." Bulma opened her mouth but Vegeta cut her off, "It is said that becoming the Legendary is linked to one's emotions but I'm not sure how true that is. My Great-Grandfather was the last known Saiyan to achieve it and if my Father knew how, he never got the chance to tell me."

* * *

They sat in silence as the world outside the little cave they called home began to darken as night fell. Vegeta heard Bulma's stomach growl, "When was the last time you ate, Woman?" "Yesterday." She lied effortlessly, he was asleep so there's no way he would know how long it had actually been. He grunted but remained unconvinced. They needed food, he himself had gone far longer than he ever should've without eating. A beeping noise drew them both to the mouth of the cave in anticipation but Vegeta motioned for Bulma to stay back. With his bow at the ready, the black haired teen slipped outside to locate their gift. Vegeta found it on the ground a few yards away, it was a white box with a hand-painted name in black letters on top; his white teeth gleamed in the darkness at the memory.

Hurrying back, Vegeta held the box in a way that Bulma couldn't see the writing. "What'd Piccolo send us?" She asked, hoping that it was food. "Patience, Woman." Vegeta chided as he sat his weapon down, then he presented the box to the one who held his heart. Bulma gasped as she read the name, "'_Senzu_ _Bakery_.' I hope this is what I think it is." Eagerly lifting the cardboard lid, the teens were stunned to find not only a baker's dozen of cinnamon rolls but two of everything Korin and Yajirobe made, even their special Senzu Karinto cakes made with Senzu Bean paste. She picked up a Karinto cake, and snarled her nose at its appearance, "What's this? It looks like poop."

Taking the disgusting looking confection from her, Vegeta set it back in the box and handed her a cinnamon roll, "It's a Karinto. Don't let it fool you, they're actually very good." The look on her face made him almost choke on his sweet, causing Vegeta to cough to clear his throat before speaking, "Trust me, Nappa pestered me relentlessly for two days before I tried one. Korin told Nappa that the Senzu Beans they use in them help restore strength and stamina, that's why he made sure to bring some home every couple of weeks. One of those and even my appetite is appeased for the rest of the day." "Well, I'm going to wait until I have no other option before I eat anything that resembles something that comes from the human body." Bulma declared as she munched on another sweet. All Vegeta could do was shake his head and smirk at her, _All it takes is once, Bulma. Then you're hooked on it._

After their meal of baked goodies, Bulma settled against Vegeta's chest. A thought hit her and she stiffened, '_He's better now. Maybe he doesn't want me to lay on him anymore._' "What's on your mind, Woman?" Vegeta inquired gruffly as his arm settled around her shoulder, holding her to him. Smiling to herself, Bulma replied, "Nothing." Then a question popped into her head, "Vegeta, why do you call me 'Woman'?"

Sighing roughly, the Prince gathered his words, he'd have to be careful lest he push her away and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "The Weakling called you '_Babe'_, your mother calls you '_Dear'_, and everyone else calls you Bulma. I wanted something that I alone got to call you. At first, it was '_Girl'_ but that stopped fitting you years ago. You grew up and so did my name for you." Not completely satisfied with his answer, Bulma pressed him harder, "But _why_ did you want a nickname that only you call me?" Giving up on words, Vegeta pulled her into a kiss.

It was slow and sweet at first, but it was not enough to convey his heart, so he slid his tongue against her lips. Her lips parted, granting him access to her mouth as he deepened the kiss. Slowly shifting his body, Vegeta pushed Bulma to the ground and held himself above her as they continued to kiss. When he was sure she understood, he broke the kiss and stared down at her flushed face, her lip red and swollen, but her blue eyes were focused on his. "_That_ is why I call you 'Woman', Bulma. Because no other name is fit for you."

Trailing his fingers from her cheek down her neck, Vegeta didn't miss the small wince that flickered across her face as he touched the place where her neck and shoulder meet. From his place above his blue-haired beauty, he tugged her shirt to the side to see what had made her wince. There, on her perfect porcelain skin, was a ring on teeth marks, stark red against her creamy white.

The apology caught in his throat, so Vegeta decided to place an open-mouthed kiss to it and had to hope Bulma would understand what he meant. Rocking back on his heels, Vegeta pulled Bulma with him as he righted himself and leaned against the wall. "Rest, Woman. I shall guard you tonight." Bulma yawned as she snuggled into his side, humming the chorus of The Tree's Lullaby. And Vegeta held true to his word, staying up the whole night.


	23. Chapter 23

23

The next day Bulma was forced to eat the Karinto for breakfast since they had eaten all the other baked goodies last night. "We're going hunting today. I can wait until you kill something." Bulma stated, trying to plead her case to a frustrated Vegeta. "Just eat the stupid thing, Woman, it's not bad and it certainly does not taste as bad as it looks. Besides, hunting is a fickle sport and there's no guarantee the animals will corporate." "Ugh, fine," Bulma said exasperated, snatching the offending treat from Vegeta's hand, popped the entire thing in her mouth and chewed angrily. Swallowing, she tapped her foot impatiently, "Well, come on. We haven't got all day, ya know."

Smirking at his partner, Vegeta shook his head, "Weren't you the one telling me to 'take it slow' a few minutes ago?" Irritably crossing her arms, Bulma grumbled, "That was before I had to eat Korin's poop cake. Now let's go." "Ok, but stay behind me, Woman. I made a promise to you years ago and I have no intentions of breaking it now." Vegeta instructed as he stepped outside, weapon at the ready. It had been almost three weeks since the last time he'd gone hunting, but his muscle memory was still spot on.

* * *

After stalking through the forest for a couple of hours and nothing more than a chatterdee in sight the whole time, Vegeta growled in frustration, "Can you be _any_ louder, Woman?" "For your information mister, I've survived out here _on my own_, and pretty darn well too." Bulma shot back, now that Vegeta was healed up and back to his old self, he was grating on her nerves even worse than before. Taking a deep breath, he ground out between clenched teeth, "Because you were following my plan the whole time." "No." Bulma shook her head, "You never told me about any so-called plans, so how could I have followed it?" Vegeta's voice dropped dangerously low, "If I had told you my plan you would not have followed it to the letter like I needed you to; granted my injury was not part of it but we made it work. I know how you work, Bulma. I know how you think. That's why it's worked so far; because I _knew_ what you would do." _That's what makes me so dangerous, the fact that I can anticipate my opponents' next move._

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Vegeta exhaled heavily, "Just… forage around here for plants. I'm going to try hunting a little farther away, maybe we just haven't gone far enough." Exasperatedly throwing her hands up, Bulma hissed, "Fine! But we're meeting back here in an hour. And not a minute later." She turned on her heel and stomped off into the bushes while Vegeta stalked north on silent feet. Once he was a few hundred yards away from Bulma and her lead feet, Vegeta spied a speckled-chested hawk. _Perfect._ A smirk spread across his lips as he drew the arrow back and fired right as a cannon sounded. The arrow missed its target but Vegeta didn't care about the bird anymore, all he was concerned about was his Woman.

Vegeta rushed back to their meet site, nocking another arrow as he ran. "Woman?" He called, but no one answered him. Starting to get desperate, he glanced along the ground and saw Bulma's jacket with leaves and berries on it. A noise behind him made Vegeta crouch low to the ground, ready to attack his opponent. As soon as he saw that lovely blue hair, Vegeta dropped his bow and hugged her tightly, "Bulma! Don't scare me like that." He picked up a small, round berry that was deep purple, almost black in color, from her hand, "Where did you find these?"

"On a plant back there a ways." Bulma nodded over her shoulder in the direction she'd come from, "I've never seen a plant with a magenta stalk before." Instantly slapping the berries out of her hand, Vegeta yelled, "What were you thinking, Woman? Those are deathberries. You'd be dead in a minute." Setting her fists on her hips, bright blue eyes glared at the other teen, "How was I supposed to know? It's not like I know what eatable and what's not."

Stepping around the muscular teen, Bulma walked over to her jacket and called over her shoulder, "Hey, did you eat any of the berries?" "No. Why?" Vegeta picked up his discarded bow and knelt beside her. "Cause there's some missing. And I got all of them from that deathberry plant." Swiftly scanning the ground, Vegeta picked up on a faint trail disappearing into the underbrush. Tapping Bulma's shoulder to get her attention, Vegeta held a finger to his lips and nodded in the direction of the trail. They wordlessly tracked after their food thief, knowing that whoever it was, was most likely the person who died.

Maybe a hundred yards from the meet site, they found the body of a girl with red hair. "That's the girl from Region 5." Bulma whispered as Vegeta knelt down next to the body. As he picked up the dark berries Bulma asked, "What are you doing?" Shrugging as he pocketed them, Vegeta simply smirked, "Maybe Zarbon likes berries." _And just in case Cell goes back on his word._

Once they had doubled back to retrieve Bulma's jacket, Vegeta suggested, "Let's push farther in, closer to the Cornucopia." "Why? We know that's probably where Zarbon's been hanging out." Bulma was starting to question his logic. _This is why I didn't tell you my plans to begin with._ Grinning gleefully, Vegeta said, "Exactly. My Father once told me, '_Sometimes, the closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm_.'" Bulma cocked an eyebrow at him, '_He must still be sick. Or else Vegeta's always been this crazy._' "That makes no sense, Vegeta." "Perhaps," Vegeta shrugged, "but it worked for Dad, so chances are it'll work for us. Besides, it's not like we're going to _stay_ at the Cornucopia, Woman, we're just going to look around to see if we can find Zarbon." Knowing that she wasn't going to convince Vegeta otherwise, Bulma raised her hands in surrender and followed him through the woods again.


	24. Chapter 24

24

Abruptly, the sky began to darken, putting the two teens on edge. "What time is it? There's no way we've been out all day." Bulma declared as she gripped tightly onto the back of Vegeta's jacket. "We haven't; it's barely noon." Yipping and howling could be heard, Vegeta guessed whatever was making those sounds was still a ways away from them. But it was coming closer with each passing second. A scream rang out across the Arena followed almost immediately by a cannon. Through the trees Vegeta and Bulma saw Sixteen's face flash against the starry sky. Growing extremely uneasy, Vegeta glanced back at Bulma and found that she had the same look on her face that she does when arguing with him. _Good. She's ready for a fight._ "The Cornucopia is probably the safest place. Run as fast as you can, Bulma. I'll be right behind you." Nodding determinedly, Bulma never even thought to question his command and took off as fast as her legs could carry her.

Vegeta had to run slower than he was used to in order to stay in step with Bulma. But as soon as they reached the clearing, he easily pulled ahead of her and stopped at the back of the metal structure. "RUN FASTER, WOMAN!" Vegeta bellowed as he finally laid eyes on their pursuers, firing an arrow at one that was too close to Bulma for his liking. It was a pack of unnaturally large wolves, their head appeared to come up the Vegeta's elbow, and the ground rumbled under their weight which looked to all muscle mass. The wolf thing he hit wasn't even fazed by the arrow sticking out of chest so Vegeta nocked another, this time aiming for its head. Nailing his target in the eye, the creature fell, tripping up the three behind it. Finally reaching his side, Bulma stepping into his interlaced hands so Vegeta could boost her up onto the Cornucopia.

After getting Bulma to safety, Vegeta tossed the bow up to her and jumped seconds before the beasts were upon him, but he overestimated his newfound strength and landed on top of Bulma. "Oof." Vegeta pushed himself up, smiling down at Bulma who's blue hair fanned out beneath her, the moonlight making her appear even more ethereal than normal. Unexpectedly yanked by his quiver, Vegeta was thrown halfway up the Cornucopia. Scrambling to get his feet underneath him, Vegeta glanced up just in time to see a foot descending towards his head and barrel rolled to dodge the attack. Now with Bulma behind him and some distance between the two males, Vegeta stood, removing his quiver and jacket, his white breastplate gleaming in the moonlight.

"I thought I smelt body glitter. What's up, Zarbon? You're looking a little worse for wear." Vegeta smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. _Selypa was right, it is cold without those jackets._ Zarbon's pale skin was covered in blood, some of it was his and some of it wasn't, his rust-colored shirt had several holes just like his olive green pants, and he was missing his jacket. Still haughty, but much more tired sounding, Zarbon chuckled, "Nothing's changed, Vegeta. Although I must admit, I'm rather surprised you survived this long." Dropping into a ready stance, Vegeta stated with a straight face, "One time you've defeated me, Zarbon. And that's one time too many! Arghhhh!" Vegeta leaped forwards, aiming for his chest.

Barely blocking Vegeta's fist, Zarbon stumbled back as Vegeta pressed his advantage. Swing after swing, Vegeta's hands and feet hit their mark with every attack, his body thrumming with adrenaline. Smirking at his weaker opponent, "You see Zarbon, you're not just dealing with the average warrior. For I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans. And I have ascended and became the Legendary!" Zarbon clocked him in the jaw, knocking Vegeta to the ground. Crazed golden eyes turned towards Bulma and the pale teen stalked towards her. She fought him, but it was short-lived as he roughly grabbed her hair and pulled her farther up the Cornucopia, towards the mouth. Knowing she only had a split second, Bulma dragged her feet and managed to kick the bow and an arrow over to Vegeta, who was on his hands and knees trying to get the world to stop spinning.

Still on his knees, Vegeta snatched up the bow and nocked the single arrow. "_Let_ _her go_!" He growled, with a murderous gleam in his onyx eyes. Pulling his victim to his chest, Zarbon shook his head, "You've made a huge mistake, Vegeta. Now prepare to watch her die!" Bulma locked eyes with Vegeta, tapping the hand over her heart, and screamed, "KILL IT WITH FIRE!" "Gladly," Vegeta smirked, releasing the arrow he had aimed at Zarbon's hand. He howled in pain and released Bulma, who threw her elbow into Zarbon's gut and pushed him off their safe high-ground.

The monstrous wolves were on him in a second. Zarbon's screams of agony were easily heard above the snarls and yips of the animals tearing him apart. Now with the quiver on his back again, Vegeta came up and stood next to Bulma near the edge of the Cornucopia and when she turned to hide her face in his chest, he simply let her, wrapping an arm around her protectively. Vegeta's well-trained ears picked up on two words amidst the screams, a whispered plea, "_Vegeta… please…_" Gently removing her from his chest, Vegeta saw a look of hurt flash in her blue eyes which pained his heart, "The sooner he's dead, the sooner those things leave. And the sooner we get to go home." Drawing an arrow, Vegeta nocked it and waited for his shot. The second he saw Zarbon's gold-colored eyes, he let the arrow fly; and the final cannon of the 74th Annual Dragon Games sounded.

* * *

As the creatures ran into the woods, the sky brightened as if it was still high noon. They walked back towards the tail of Cornucopia and slide to the ground, Vegeta going first so he could help Bulma down. Once on the ground, it was quite normal for the Winner to be announced at this point, but as the seconds turned into a minute Vegeta's grin turned into a scowl.

Clearing his throat, Perfect Cell's melodiously sarcastic voice announced, "Hello to our final two Competitors. I'm sad to say that the earlier revision allowing for two Winners has been _revoked_. There can be only one. I do wish you both the best of luck though and can't wait to finally meet you in person." Laughter bubbled up in his throat and Vegeta decided to let it escape for once, it might be the last time anyway, "I should've known you wouldn't be a 'fair' Game Master, Cell!"

Turning towards Bulma, he watched as fear flashed in her eyes, but only for a second, "Easy, Woman. To kill you would be to destroy my whole reason for living these past few weeks. It would make everything we've gone through pointless. And you know how I feel about pointless endeavors, Woman." "So then what are we going to do?" Bulma asked as she watched Vegeta remove the quiver from his back and tossed both it and his bow to the ground at her feet. She stared at the weapons until she heard a soft 'thump', causing her to look up to find that he had taken off his breastplate. Sighing heavily, _Please don't fight me on this._ Vegeta silently pleaded as he spoke, "You have to kill me, Woman."

Shocked that he would even think to say such words to her, Bulma stepped back from the weapons on the ground, "No! No, Vegeta. I will _not_ kill you." Anger rising, Vegeta paused to take a breath, and spoke his next words softly, "Bulma, I made you a promise eleven years ago and I will not break it now. Remember, a Prince never breaks his word." That phrase worked, but not the way he intended it to. Stepping over the bow, Bulma wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ear, "Without you, what's the point of winning?"

Suddenly remembering something very important, Vegeta shoved her away and reached into her pocket. Bulma was about to fuss at him but when she saw the deep purple berries in his hand, she held her tongue. "It seems we're on the same page, Woman. So what do you say, Cell? Two Winners or no Winner at all?!" Vegeta smirked, yelling at the sky before giving Bulma half of the deathberries in his hand. "On three?" Bulma asked. Vegeta nodded, "One." "Two." Vegeta caressed her face as she spoke. "Three." Just as the first berry reached their lips, Cell called out, "STOP! Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present to you the Winners of the 74th Annual Dragon Games. Vegeta Saiyan and Bulma Briefs of Region 12!"

* * *

A hovercraft appeared, descending from the sky until the rope ladder brushed the ground. Giddy with excitement, Bulma latched onto Vegeta in a bear hug 'til the winds from the hovercraft's propellers became too strong. Wiping the blood-red berry juice off on his pants, Vegeta picked up his armor and, while still holding tightly onto Bulma's hand, lead her to the ladder. He made sure that she was on first and frozen in place by the electric current before climbing on himself, but the ladder wasn't moving nor was he held in place. _It must take four points of contact to work._ Not even really thinking about it, Vegeta looked at Bulma through the rungs and pressed his lips to hers. It worked; they stayed like that until they were safely inside the hovercraft.

Finally relaxing as he felt that they were safe, Vegeta held Bulma close once he could move; but that peace was short-lived. Two Freeza Force mooks jerked the teens apart, causing Vegeta to let out a low growl as he freed himself, _How dare they _touch_ My Woman!_ The goon holding a struggling Bulma pulled out a syringe and plunged it into her arm, the medicine inside causing her to fall asleep. "Bulma! No!" He snarled, lunging forward, adrenaline-pumping again, as he was wrenched back by his arm. Rounding on his attacker, a familiar face made Vegeta pause before he felt the prick of the needle in his bicep, "Raditz?" "Sorry kid, just following orders." Raditz said, holding onto Vegeta's arm and lowering him to the floor; his unmistakable unruly hairstyle was the only thing that made his Prince recognize him and that was the reason he was assigned to knock the warrior out.


	25. Chapter 25

25

When Vegeta awoke, he was in a small, white room. There were no windows, no clocks or calendars, nothing but the bed he was in, the machines hooked up to him making those infuriating beeping noises, and a silver plate on a wall. _That has to be the door… Bulma! I have to find her!_ Vegeta started to get up and found that he was strapped to the bed, _What?! They _dare_ try to restrain me? The Prince of all Saiyans!_ Roaring as he ripped his wrist restraints off the bed, Vegeta reached up and tore off the wires attaching him to those machines, causing them to emit a long, high-pitched whine.

Before he could free himself any farther, a very angry Piccolo burst through the door, shouting, "Will you quit? You've already Won, so stop fighting!" The middle-aged man walked over to the machine and pushed a button and the whining stopped instantly. "Thank goodness. That sound was worse than Her screeching." Vegeta said, and just as he hoped, Piccolo stepped within arm's reach.

Snagging the blond Winner by his white shirt color, Vegeta growled, "_Where_ is Bulma? Tell me that, Drunk, and I might _actually_ listen to you for once." "Let me go and I'll tell you." Clearing his throat after Vegeta released him, Piccolo held true to his word, "Bulma's fine. She's in the room next to you." He gestured to the wall behind Vegeta as he spoke, continuing, "You two are in here under observation to make sure that ya'll are 'mentally stable' or some other such nonsense. Relax, every Winner has to go through this; even me." Signing as he rubbed a hand down his face, Piccolo said, "It's a good thing I was coming to see you when I was, otherwise a nurse or something would've come in here and drugged you again. So do us all a favor and quit fighting. Cause the sooner you do that, the sooner you get to see her."

"Fine. How long does this 'observation' thing last, anyway?" Vegeta scowled as he crossed his arms. Piccolo shrugged, "Usually a day or so after you're awake. But it can take longer if they see that you are still in an 'Arena mindset' as they call it. So, again, no fighting." Rolling his onyx eyes at the clean-shaven man, "I get it. No fighting. Geez, I'm not an idiot, Piccolo." The former Winner walked towards the door, "I'm going to go check on Bulma. The next time you see me, it'll be time to go." A grunt was all Piccolo got as he pushed on the silver plate and left.

Suddenly a slightly muffled, yet still ear-piercing scream reached him through the wall. Vegeta could hear a door slammed against a wall in Bulma's room and Piccolo's gruff voice, "Quiet down. You're fine, Bulma. You and Vegeta both Won the Game." "Where's Vegeta?" Bulma sounded worried. _Is she really worried about me? After what I put her through in the Arena?_ "He's in the room next to you." Vegeta could only guess that Piccolo had gestured to the wall he was now wishing was not there. "Ok, good. So he's ok then?" There was no answer from Piccolo so Vegeta assumed that he had nodded.

"And we're in some sort of hospital, right?" Again, no vocal reply. "I take it we're under observation, which means we'll get to leave soon. Right Mr. Piccolo?" "Yes, Bulma." Piccolo's voice rumbled through the wall, "As long as you and Vegeta don't fight the nurses, you should be out of here in a day or so. Now get some rest, the show must go on once you're out of here." "Ok Mr. Piccolo." Bulma yawned, mumbling something that Vegeta couldn't quite make out. _Rest sounds good right about now._ Vegeta yawned slowly, showing his white teeth. _How in the world could I hear them? Is the wall really that thin?_ These were the last thoughts on his mind before Vegeta succumbed to the exhaustion pulling at his limbs and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Vegeta woke up intermittently but since there was no clock in the room, he had no idea how much time really passed. Every time he awoke after Piccolo's visit, there was a tray of food waiting for him; at first the portion was miniscule and the amount of food grew each time but it was still insignificant for his rather large appetite.

Eventually Piccolo came back, bringing with him a simple pair of royal blue track pants and a matching tank top. "Get dressed. I'll meet you outside in five." Piccolo gruffly ordered as he tossed the clothes at the black-haired teen. Catching the garments, Vegeta moved to undo the rest of his restraints, only to find that they had been removed. _Must have happened during my last nap._ Surprised that he hadn't noticed someone entering the room the whole time he'd been there, Vegeta shook his head and slid out of bed. After pulling on his clothes, he pushed on the silver plate and stepped outside the tiny, white room.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he laid eyes on Selypa, Krillin, and Piccolo. The three adults waited for the battle-hardened teen to approach them since they were unsure how he would react if they moved toward him first. When Vegeta reached the group, Selypa hugged him tightly, "Well done, my Prince. Well done. I know your parents would be proud of you and how you fought." Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement, letting his Designer hold him for a moment before kindly removing himself from the embrace. Chortling to himself, Krillin slapped Vegeta's back, earning him a growl as he exclaimed, "Ha! I can't believe it! My first year as an Escort and I have not one, but two Winners! Take that Sauza!" "Enough." Piccolo commanded, "Vegeta, go with Selypa. She'll get you ready for the Crowning Ceremony tonight." Vegeta's whole body went deadly still as he spoke, "Where is Bulma? I wish to see her _now_, Piccolo." Undaunted by the teen's cold, murderous tone, Piccolo sighed, "Not yet Vegeta. _He_ wanted to save the reunion for the cameras." Huffing as he crossed his arms, Vegeta scowled the whole way back to his room so Selypa could get him ready for the show.


	26. Chapter 26

26

Standing beneath the stage on another metal circle, Vegeta was dressed in clingy royal blue spandex pants and a sleeveless shirt, overtop of which he wore his armor. Selypa had the outfit completed with a crimson cape that reached the floor affixed to his shoulders, paired with white gloves and white, slightly pointed boots that came up to his mid-calf. _This is what my ancestors used to wear on a daily basis? But… she does have a point; I look good in just about anything._

A familiar presence drew the teen out of his musing, so Vegeta waited for the man lurking in the shadows to speak, growling when he heard nothing, "What? Are you going to speak or not, old man?" A gruff, mirthless chuckle escaped his thin lips as Piccolo stepped out into the circle of light surrounding his young Winner, "You really messed up on this one, kid." Vegeta's scowl was a silent command to explain, so Piccolo humored him, "President Freeza's _extremely_ ticked that you not only survived, but managed to manipulate the Game, Arena, _and_ Competitors to your advantage. And you did it like a pro." A small, proud smile appeared on the blond Winner's lips before he forced it away, his tone grave, "You may be out of the Arena kid, but the _real_ Game is just getting started. So you better be a phenomenal actor, Prince Vegeta."

Grunting as his Sensei disappeared amongst the shadows, Vegeta's scowled deepened. _Shoot! I should've planned on Freeza being mad. But that's kinda difficult since I know next to nothing about that murderous lizard. And in order for me to understand him to anticipate his next move I have to…_ Vegeta shuddered at the thought, _get to know him._ _While I'm not the best actor, I'm certainly better then the Drunk gives me credit for._

* * *

The stage did little to muffle the sound of the crowd as Jimmy Firecracker walked out to start the show, "Hellllooo citizens of Ee-arth! Jimmy Firecracker here! The Game is over, so who's ready to meet our Winners?!" Vegeta wondered just how thin the material they used to build the stage was since he could everything, as if he was actually on it right now, as the crowds of people cheered and chanted his and Bulma's names. "But first, let's give it up for their wonderful team!" A spotlight passed over his hiding place and Vegeta could only guess that it was now shining on the four people he considered friends in the front row. Not that he would ever tell them that. "Their Escort, Krillin Sanchez! Their Sensei, Piccolo Woodwind! And their Designers, Selypa Fasha and Nail Guruson!" When the crowd settled down, Jimmy continued, "And now. The moment you've all been waiting for. Let me introduce our Winners, Bulma Briefs and Vegeta Saiyan!"

Swiftly, the metal circle began to rise and Vegeta with it. Blinded by the bright lights, Vegeta stood stock still, fists at his side, as his eyes adjusted. When he could finally see, Vegeta saw _Her_. Bulma blinked against the harsh lights, she was in a pale yellow dress, almost cream in color, that hugged her curves in just the right way to remind people that she was, indeed, a woman. But she was not just any woman; she was _Vegeta's_ Woman. The dress shifted from satin at the bodice to a frilly, fluffy toile with hints of orange that shifted and shimmered in the light, _Like a candle._ Bulma stopped blinking and a huge grin spread over her face as she spotted Vegeta about ten feet away from her. Launching herself forward, Bulma appeared to glide over the floor as she sprinted towards the Prince.

Vegeta let her come to him, seeing as his legs seem to have forgotten how to work, and caught Bulma in his strong arms as she latched onto him. "Vegeta…" He silenced the rest of her words in a kiss so passionate, it stole the very breath from their lungs. "Ahem." Jimmy cleared his throat, trying unsuccessfully to gain the teens' attention. When the host tapped on Vegeta's shoulder, the teen tore his lips away from Bulma and pressed her closer as he growled threateningly at the man who dared to interrupt them. "Easy, Prince Vegeta." Jimmy raised his hands, chuckling to hide is fear, "But you two are on national television, so perhaps save that for later, hmm?" The crowds' thunderous applause as the Winners made their way to their seats set Vegeta on edge; all this noise was starting to get to him.

Typically the Winner would sit on a throne as they watched the recap of their Game. But, just like the Game, this year was different as there were two thrones side-by-side. One was sculpted out of black marble and was padded with black leather and soft furs, while the other was carved out of a yew tree, stained a deep blood red and padded in soft, ruby-colored velvet. Once Vegeta saw what color Bulma's throne was, he scowled at the subtle message Freeza was trying to send him. Impulsively, Vegeta swept Bulma off her feet and carried her to his throne. Swinging his hips as he turned so he wouldn't sit on his cape, Vegeta settled into his black throne with his Woman on his lap. Bulma started to squirm on his lap, which he did not need with the skintight spandex, so he smirked at her and whispered huskily, "Come now, Woman, I haven't seen you in who knows how long. Can you blame me for missing you?" That made her pause long enough so he could maneuver her into a better place where she could sit with her head against his chest and still watch the giant screen.

The Abridgment of their Game started with their Calling in Region 12. As always, the clip team told a story and for the first time, they got to tell a love story. A romantic string of music was added underneath the film, so soft that it was only heard when there was no other sound. Bulma's name was called. Vegeta bravely volunteered, and the camera zoomed in on the single tear that trailed down her cheek. The scene made Vegeta hold Bulma all the tighter as he was forced to relive the last month or so, _You're safe now. And I'll make sure you stay that way._

Up next was the Parade; and the crowd went wild again when they saw the Winners ablaze once more. Finally getting to see what they had looked like, Vegeta was thoroughly impressed. Bulma appeared to be an otherworldly beauty with Vegeta as her ominous and foreboding bodyguard. Hearing her sharp intake of air, he smirked as Bulma watched, wide-eyed, as it focused on Vegeta giving her the blue rose. "I still have that." She mumbled to herself, but Vegeta heard her and made a mental note to get her more in the future.

Their Scores flashed on the screen before it faded away to their Interviews. Both Interviews were played in their entirety; but the words were not what held Vegeta's attention, it was Bulma. Gently nuzzling her blue hair held back by a yellow headband, Vegeta tried to convey his apology for not telling her that she always looked beautiful in his eyes. The crowd cheered as Bulma spun around onscreen, showcasing her multi-colored fire once more.

"I helped Dad work out kinks on those this past winter. It's kinda hard to believe that I got to be the one to show them to the world." Bulma whispered as she gazed up at Vegeta, her clear blue eyes twinkling with amusement at some unknown joke. Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, Vegeta felt her shiver and watched as goosebumps rippled across her perfect porcelain skin. _She must be cold._ He concluded and pulled his cape around to drape over her like a blanket. As Bulma's Interview ended the crowd got dead quiet, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, as Vegeta's Interview played on the big screen. A proud smirk graced Vegeta's lips as everyone watched the screen with rapt attention, especially the blue-hair beauty in his lap.

With the Interviews over, the Game began. This was where a great deal of time for the three-hour Abridgement would be spent on since they had, not one Winner to focus on, but two. The cameras caught their silent exchange before the Blood Bath began. People were still shocked when Vegeta accepted the spear from Zarbon, they could not understand why he would join with the very Competitors that wished to kill his love.

Now Vegeta paid very close attention whenever Bulma came on the screen, he had often wondered what she had been doing when he was not with her. It showed her struggle to find water, her first catch with a snare, and her eating supper before climbing a tree for the night. Then it switched to Vegeta and the Careers hunting the girl from Region 8, the look on his face as he shoved her back towards Zarbon made Bulma gasp in shock. She knew just how frightening he could be but Vegeta looked down-right terrifying in that moment and she felt sorry for the girl. Stunned that he had led them right to Bulma that night, Vegeta shook his head and growled lowly at his stupidity, "You were right there and I never noticed." After the argument of whether or not the girl from Region 8 was dead, the cameras showed Vegeta with her body and barely caught his whisper, "_I'll make it quick._"

Fast-forwarding to the next day, Vegeta finally got to see what had happened to Bulma. She had stopped for a mid-day rest after a bite of leftover rabbit and was awoken by a crackling wall of fire. Quickly scrambling down the tree, Bulma started running for her life and followed the fleeing animals, hoping that they would know the best way to safety. Out of nowhere, a great ball of fire launched from behind her and lit up a tree in-front of her. Skidding to a stop, she changed directions as another fireball was shot at her, this time it skimmed her left thigh as she bounded out of the way.

There was one direction that had not caught on fire and, despite the pain in her leg, Bulma headed in that direction. The adrenaline started to wear off as she lowered herself into a pool of water by the river, letting the coolness soothe her burn. It then showed Vegeta as the Careers lazily traversed along the river hoping for a kill, zeroing in on his determined expression as he chased after her and helped her up into the tree. Bulma was surprised to see the tenderly devoted look in his eyes as Vegeta watched her late into the night until sleep and memories dragged his eyelids closed.

The beesuer incident followed. In awe of her inner strength glimpsed by her complete silence, Vegeta stroked Bulma's cheek lightly with a gloved finger, wishing that he could remove it and touch her smooth skin. It showed his first fight with Zarbon, causing the crowd to boo and jeer at the underhanded move as the sword cut into Vegeta's right thigh. Gazing unashamedly at Vegeta's bare chest as he used his shirt to bind his wound, Bulma blushed; she hadn't really taken the time to appreciate his chiseled body since most of her thought process went towards keeping them alive. Once Vegeta had found his hiding place and camouflaged himself, the cameras went back to Bulma as Toriyama tended to her beesuer stings.

The time she spent with Toriyama went by quickly, but any conversations the two girls had about home were cleverly replaced by snippets of Vegeta laying on the riverbank. Finally, the explosion happened. Bulma turned to hide her face in his chest. Soothingly sliding his fingers through her hair, Vegeta bowed his head and instructed, "Raise your head, Woman. The Little One was your ally and you dishonor her by not watching." Shifting back to where she could see, Bulma watched in horror as she found Toriyama trapped by a net and was killed just after she had freed her.

The whole place went silent as Bulma sang The Tree's Lullaby to a dying little girl who should've never been in there to begin with. Yet it was not the song that cut Vegeta to his core, it was Bulma's gut-wrenching cries of "_Why her?!_" And when Cell announced that two Competitors could win the Game if they were from the same Region, Bulma had nearly shouted, "_That must mean he's alive!_" A flower of pride bloomed in his chest as he watched his Woman track him down, "Where did you learn that, I wonder?" Smiling up at her pillow, Bulma retorted slyly, "From the same person who told me how to shoot."

The fateful reunion was set to a dramatic musical score, the swelling crescendo playing as Bulma pulled him from the rocky crevasse and helped him to the river's edge. As he watched her tend to him, Vegeta realized just how bad he'd really looked when she'd found him. _I looked half dead when She found me… _"Why did you stay?" He wondered softly. Shrugging, causing the jewels on the pin on her right shoulder to shimmer in the light, Bulma muttered, "Where else would I go? 12's not home without you." "Nor you." Vegeta rumbled in her ear, only really paying attention to the Banquet and what happened when he was asleep. Any time they kissed or had a 'cute' moment, all the woman in the crowd went 'Aww!', much to Vegeta's annoyance. _I am not 'cute'… just take the compliment._

Then it was time for the final showdown with Zarbon. It was scored to an energetic, fast-paced beat as the Winners fled from the beasts only to find themselves in even more danger. The fight was fairly fast and Vegeta scowled as he watched Zarbon strike him in the jaw. 'Boo's' sounded from the crowd as Zarbon descended on Bulma and used her as a human shield. When she screamed, "_KILL IT WITH FIRE!_" Vegeta chuckled at the memory of the first time Bulma saw a salamander, "You know, that's the second time you've told me to kill something, Woman." A sharp elbow was jabbed into his side as she huffed, "I was ten, what'd you expect me to do? Call it cute?"

Shaking his head, smirk still firmly in place as Zarbon's plea sounded through the speakers, "_Vegeta… please…_" Bulma buried her face in his chest again and this time Vegeta didn't make her watch, he had to last time when all she wanted was comfort; and comfort he shall give her. The final cannon sounded and they were declared the Winners of the 74th Annual Dragon Games. But Vegeta noticed that the scene with the deathberries was skipped, as well as Cell reneging on the two Winner rule.


	27. Chapter 27

27

With the Abridgement concluded, now came time for their final Interview after which was the Crowning Ceremony with President Freeza. Vegeta was dreading being that close to that lizard, but he had to focus on wanna-be reporter now and worry about Freeza later. Crossing his legs, his blue suede shoes still clashing with his bright orange suit, Jimmy beamed, "I just want to start this off by saying congratulations to you two. I take it you both are adjusting well to the outside world?" "As well as one can expect." Bulma quipped. A deep, rumbling chuckle escaped Vegeta, "It's nice to see you haven't lost the edge to your silver tongue since I last saw you."

Since their time was still limited to ten minutes, Jimmy asked his next question, "So, Prince Vegeta, we know that you received cinnamon rolls as a gift while you two were held up in the cave and I'm sure that brought back a lot of memories. How old were you when you first met Bulma?" Onyx eyes twinkled in delight, _Good, I can turn around on _him._ But not yet, not until I'm _sure_ She'll be safe._ "We were five at the time. But I didn't really and truly figure out that I was in love with Her until I was twelve." "Wow. That young, huh? Well, I can tell you have yourself quite a catch there. Although, I think the most exciting thing about this year's Game was watching Bulma fall for you. Tell me Bulma, when did you realize that you were in love with Vegeta?" Jimmy queried with a wide grin as he pushed his trademark glasses back into place since they have a bad habit of sliding down his hawk-like nose.

Bulma bit her lip nervously, "Ummm… I'm not really sure I can pinpoint an exact 'when'…" Seeing that she needed a bit of help, Jimmy suggested, "The 'when' moment that comes to mind for me was when you deduced that Vegeta must be alive and set out to find him." Grateful for the assistance, Bulma nodded slightly, "Now that you said it, yeah. It was then that I realized that I would get to keep him. And once I knew that, I could finally admit to myself that I'm in love with my best friend." Smugly smirking down at her, Vegeta questioned her in a husky tone, "Who says you get to keep me?" "You did. And as soon as we get home I'm going to invent something that not even you can escape from." Bulma shot back, rolling her eyes at his stubbornness.

Sneaking a peek at his gold watch, Jimmy asked one final question, "Vegeta," A sharp, piercing glare had the middle-aged host correcting himself, "_Prince_ Vegeta, I want to know what was going through your mind when you pulled out those berries. What can you tell us, inquisitive citizens?" _This is it. All or nothing._ Vegeta steeled himself, he wouldn't lie but he couldn't tell the entire truth either, "I was thinking about how I was going to protect Bulma. How I didn't want to live without her. You said it perfectly, Woman, '_Without you, what's the point of Winning_'." He pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead, causing the crowd to 'aww' at them as the Final Interview wrapped up with Jimmy telling the viewers to not miss the Crowning Ceremony coming up next.

Forced to let Bulma up from his lap since they had to sit in their own thrones, Vegeta was now beginning to feel a bundle of nerves coiling in his belly. He was coming face-to-face with his Father's murderer and he couldn't do a single thing to avenge him; yet. Two white pedestals with violet velveteen pillows rose up from under the stage. Atop one pillow was an antique gold circlet which came to subtle triangle in the front to hold a single, round fire opal gemstone; while on the other rested a turquoise pendant with ten jade rays extended from a fire opal resting in the center of the five-inch pendant affixed to a wide silver T-shape with a silver chain.

President Freeza approached the pedestals, he was dressed in the same appalling bright purple and light gray suit from the Parade and Vegeta found some delight in knowing that the man was shorter then himself; if only a little bit. After addressing the crowd with a bunch of nonsense that Vegeta didn't pay much attention too, the 35-year-old man picked up the circlet and placed it on Bulma's head, stating, "What a lovely pin." "Thank you. Vegeta gave it to me." Bulma said proudly, causing a sly grin to cross the lizard's lips. Freeza then moved to lift the pendant from the pillow, standing before the young Prince and hissed lowly in his ear as he placed it around Vegeta's neck, "I hope you recognize your so-called Winner's 'crowns'. They were your parents after all. And…"

The high-pitched whine disappeared as his voice dropped an octave so only Vegeta would hear his next words, "I know the _real_ reason you gave that wench your mother's pin." Schooling his features to give away nothing of his inner turmoil, Vegeta replied just as quiet, "I may be replaceable, but She is not. After the Old Man dies, that _Woman_ will be the only one capable of repairing his inventions." _And I'll die before I let you touch her._ A sneer showed the murderer's pearly white teeth before it morphed into a wide grin, "If you say so, Vegeta; we both know you don't have it in you to lie. Especially to me."

* * *

With the Crowning Ceremony complete, the teens were released to go back to their floor for the night. Everybody congratulated them as the teens stepped off the elevator, Nail and Selypa hugged their Competitors as Krillin drawled on and on about how good they did while Piccolo merely nodded his approval. When their Designers finally released them, Vegeta and Bulma headed towards the dining room for a late dinner. As usual, a great spread of food was awaiting them. Vegeta's mouth started to water at the sight, his belly hadn't been full in two weeks but he had used his hunger to his advantage in the Arena. A hungry Saiyan was a dangerous Saiyan, after all.

Settling for a couple of plates, Bulma asked, "Do we get to keep our crowns, Mr. Piccolo?" "Yes." Came the former Winner's gruff reply, "Each crown is made to reflect the Arena the Winner fought in, mine was a tangled mess of interwoven rose stems. But I do not see how yours's are related to this year's Arena." Speaking for the first time since arriving on their floor, Vegeta grunted, "They're not."

Now with everyone's attention focused on him, which he didn't want, Vegeta sighed, "These," He gestured at his pendent and Bulma's circlet as he spoke, "are the Royal Crowns of Vegeta-sai. I remember my Father wearing his every day, but I believe he said Mom only wore her's on special occasions, like parties or some other such nonsense." Staring down at her half-eaten plate, Bulma mumbled quietly, "Do you want it back?" "No." A smirk appeared on Vegeta's lips as her head shot up and she asked, "How did you hear me?" Nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders, Vegeta gave the scientist the best answer he had, "I'm not sure. Everything is louder to me since I woke up after that coward Raditz drugged me on the hovercraft."

The adult Saiyan and the two Namekians shared a look, which did not go unnoticed by the teens. Not liking that there was something that he did not know and they did, Vegeta queried lowly, "Is there something you'd three like to tell me?" Slightly unnerved by the Saiyan Prince, Nail threw his partner under the bus, "I'll let you handle this, Selypa, since you're a Saiyan and all." Rolling her eyes at how easily her friend had folded under the heated gaze of Vegeta, Selypa sighed, "No better time then now, I guess. But if I hear of even one _word_ of this getting out, no place is safe from me. Understand, Krillin?" The bald man nodded vigorously as he slurped his noodles, "Not a word. Nope. Not going to hear a thing from me. I mean, quack?"

Satisfied that this would stay a secret, Selypa explained, "You see, my Prince, when a Saiyan comes back from the very edge of death, they get stronger." "I already know that. What I want to know is what else you're not telling me." Vegeta snapped, frustrated by the Designer's slowness. _Even Nappa's explained things faster than her._ Equally aggravated with the young Prince, Selypa thumped a fist on the table, "Then I suggest you stay quiet and don't interrupt me. As I was saying, it is not only physical strength that you gain. Every part of you is strengthened; your strength, your stamina, your agility, and yes, even your senses. No one but Saiyans can do this as far as I know, and this knowledge is _not_ to be used lightly. You got lucky this time, Vegeta, you may not be so fortunate next time." "There won't be a 'next time.' Right, Vegeta?" Bulma said, looking hopefully at the teen with black, flame-swept hair. Her hope was met with silence. Then his gravelly voice intoned, "That is something I cannot promise, Bulma."


	28. Chapter 28

28

With the mood soured and his belly full, Vegeta retired to his room to change and rest before they were to depart for Region 12 in the morning. The pendant laid heavily on his chest as Vegeta struggled to stop his swirling mind. _Argh! I can't stand this._ He sat up on the bed, threw back the covers and padded barefoot to his door. Only to find it locked. _Why is it locked? I don't remember…_ A thought hit him, causing a deep growl to climb his throat, _The Drunk! How dare he keep me in here._ Quiet scurrying was heard down the hall, so Vegeta laid down and pressed his ear to the gap between the door and carpet; managing to catch snippets of conversation. "And you're sure we won't be interrupted?" A man said, his voice even. Another gruff voice answered, "Yes. I made sure to lock their doors." "I still suggest we take this somewhere else. Unless Vegeta is asleep, it's likely he'll be able to hear every word." A distinctively woman's voice advised and apparently the two men agreed because Vegeta heard them rise and walk somewhere. Then he heard the chime of the elevator and the dull thud of the doors closing. _Huh, I wonder what that was about?_

Knowing that sleep would definitely not come easily now, and having nothing else to do, Vegeta decided to workout. Soon he was testing just how much farther he could push himself since his near-death. Sweat dripped from his brow onto the beige carpet as he did upwards of 500 push-ups. Finally, the elusive rest he had been chasing began to weigh down his limbs. Not caring that he was sweaty, Vegeta hauled his exhausted body back into the queen-size bed and curled up under the covers as sleep overtook him.

* * *

_He was back in 12. But it seemed different, it felt… off. Vegeta walked through the streets, and yet he did not find a single soul, living or dead. Suddenly, three hovercrafts in an arrow formation appeared, dropping something onto the Region. As soon as the first object hit the ground and Vegeta felt the aftershocks, he knew they were bombs. And they were concentrating on the Seam. '_Bulma_!' Vegeta shouted as he ran at breakneck speeds towards his home._

_Running so fast it was like he was flying, Vegeta arrived at Her house right as a bomb hit it. The force of the explosion propelled him backwards, and he landed roughly amongst the ruins of another house. Not wasting a moment on himself, Vegeta was on his feet and scrambling over the wreckage of the Brief house. '_Bulma_!' He called Her name as he sifted through the rubble. As Vegeta shoved a piece of a collapsed wall aside, he found a familiar, bald man laying there. '_Nappa?! What are you doing here?_' Nappa laid as still as death, his body broken and bleeding as if he had been the fight of his life and lost._

_Slowly, his eyes cracked open and Vegeta saw regret in those black orbs, coughing harshly, Nappa forced out, '_I'm sorry, Vegeta_… _I failed_. _But at least we still had fun_…' Clutching his guardian and life-long friend, Vegeta hissed, '_Nappa!_ Where_ _is_ _Bulma? _Tell me and I shall give you an honorable death_.' '_Fre_… _Freeza_.' Nappa whispered as he raised a shaking hand in the direction of the forest. True to his word, Vegeta snapped Nappa's neck just like the man had taught him so many years ago._

_With renewed determination, Vegeta stalked into his hunting ground. Only this time, his prey was far more dangerous than any wild animal. Stopping at the pond some miles away from 12, Vegeta spotted his prey, just sitting on the grass like he hadn't a care in the world. '_So nice of you to finally join us, Vegeta_.' The blond murderer drawled. 'Where_ is Bulma?_' Vegeta growled at the back of the pinstriped suit. Casting a glance over his shoulder, Freeza grinned, '_Why_, _she's right here_.' He fisted his pale hand into her blue hair and pulled her up so she could look into the eyes of her would-be savior who, sadly, couldn't even save himself._

_Clear blue eyes shone through the tears making their way down her face, her strawberry red lips, swollen and bruised, tried to speak, '_I'm sorry_…' Vegeta heard the click one second too late. The gunshot echoed through the trees as the tyrant stood, turning to level his weapon at the Saiyan's chest, '_Don't worry Vegeta_, _you'll see her soon enough_.' Vegeta closed his eyes as he waited for the bullet to rip through him. And when it didn't he opened his eyes…_

* * *

Vegeta's eyes shot open. He was still in his room at the Training Center. _It must have been a dream._ He concluded as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Not knowing how long he had until it was time to leave, Vegeta hurriedly hopped in the shower to wash off last night's training. _Hmm, hot water is _definitely_ one thing I've missed these past… How long has it been?_ Quickly doing the math, Vegeta was surprised, _Eleven years? It's been eleven years since that lizard banished me to Region 12. Well, jokes on him. Region 12 has more Saiyans than any other Region, save for 2._

Stepping out of the shower, Vegeta snagged a towel, wrapping it around his waist as he went to answer the knock at his door. "What?" Vegeta growled as he swung the door open, to find a blushing Bulma. Biting her lip as she stared at his wet, muscular chest. Vegeta cleared his throat, breaking her concentration, "Is there a reason you interrupted my shower, Woman?" "Um…" Bulma's blush deepened as she raised her eyes to look at his face, "Oh! Mr. Piccolo said to tell you that we'll be leaving for the train in an hour." Softly grunting in acknowledgement, Vegeta leaned against the door frame, _She looks beautiful._ Unable to clear her thoughts, Bulma licked her dry lips before shaking her head and scurrying away. "She has no idea the effect she has on me." He mumbled to himself as he closed the door to get dressed.


	29. Chapter 29

29

Vegeta had sat down and barely began to eat when a familiar mane of black hair appeared from the elevator. Scowling into his fried eggs and bacon, Vegeta growled, "What are you doing here, Raditz?" The now twenty-something young man chuckled darkly, "President Freeza thought it would be wise to have someone escort the Winners to the train. In case a crazed fan tried to jump you two." "Well, that's nice of him but I think we'll be ok on our own. Right, Vegeta?" Bulma wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin before pushing her plate towards the hungry Saiyan Prince for him to polish it off. Dark eyes twinkled as Raditz's rough timber sounded once again, "You seem to have misunderstood me. See, you have no say in the matter woman…" As soon as the word left his mouth, Raditz knew he had messed up.

In a blink of an eye, Vegeta had the taller Saiyan by the throat and pinned against a wall. Something primal had overtaken Vegeta as he snarled in his victim's face, "She is _my Woman_! MINE!" Taking a deep breath, he loosed his grip as he noticed Raditz's face turning red, and hissed lowly, "Watch how you address Her. I may not be so forgiving next time." Now that he could breathe, Raditz snarked back, "Funny, I don't see a Claim on her." Vegeta's expression darkens tenfold as he calmly ordered, "Pull down your shirt, Woman." "What?" Bulma asked, confused by his request. Frustrated by everyone's sudden stupidity, he ground out, "Your shirt collar. Pull it down. _Now_."

Barely registering her quiet "Ok.", Vegeta glared daggers into Raditz's inky black eyes as he waited for him to see that he had, in fact, Claimed and Marked her as his own. Once he saw the bite mark on Bulma's right shoulder, all color drained from Raditz's face, "My apologies, Prince Vegeta. I did not know." Scoffing at the sad excuse for a Saiyan, Vegeta released him and Raditz dropped to his knees; one, so he could catch his breath and two, submission was the fastest way to calm the beast within. "That's what I thought." Vegeta huffed as he returned to his meal.

* * *

It was soon time to go. Both teens had a heavy heart as they were forced to leave the Capital once more. And although it was similar to their first trip all those years ago, it was also different in the fact that they were _returning_ to Region 12; not as outcasts but as Winners. The train ride was almost too boring for Vegeta, the Game had given him a taste of battle and now he craved it. Finding himself in the lounge car, Vegeta stared out the large window, admiring the shining sea as they passed Region 4. "I never thought I'd get to see this again." He mumbled to himself as Bulma walked in. "Oh, wow!" Bulma exhaled as she saw the beauty of the sea, but all to quickly it was gone as the train continued on its journey.

Sitting down in the chair opposite him, Bulma studied Vegeta's face as if she would find all the answers to her questions in his deep black eyes. "What? If you've got something to say then say it." Vegeta snapped harshly, still unnerved by his earlier outburst at Raditz. Unfazed by his reaction, Bulma leaned back and crossed her legs, "What was that about back at breakfast?" "Humph," Vegeta grunted, finding the swiftly passing trees suddenly very interesting. But Bulma Briefs does not back down so easily. She reached out, took hold of his chin and forced him to look at her, "Talk to me Vegeta. I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

Jerking himself free of her soft grip, Vegeta sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "In Saiyan Culture it was not uncommon for males to fight over females, sometimes to the death. So one way our ancestors found a way to help stop such useless bloodshed was for there to be a recognized form of… ownership is not the right word but I can't recall the word my Father used. Anyway, Saiyans did not know the concept of marriage until we arrived here in Ee-arth, before that all we understood was the concept of Mating. However, Saiyans do mate for life so I guess that is why we accepted the strange idea of marriage so easily."

"But what does that have to do with what happened this morning?" Bulma questioned, still not grasping what he was telling her. Amusingly shaking his head, Vegeta couldn't help but smirk at the confused look on her perfect face, "That idiot Raditz liked you, probably for your fiery personality. He knew that I had given you the pin but I guess he thought that I'd be too arrogant to actually stake a Claim on you."

That got her blood boiling, Bulma jumped out of her seat, shouting, "I AM NOT A PRIZE!" Swiftly standing with her, Vegeta wrapped his arms around the angry woman and crushed her into his chest; more for her protection then his because he did not know how he would react if she struck him. "I know you're not, Bulma; I know. But this concept of Marking and Claiming is so deeply ingrained into, not just my culture, but my very nature as well that I didn't even realize what I had done until afterwards." Vegeta spoke softly, hoping that she would understand, or at the very least calm down. It worked. Exhaling roughly after a few minutes, Bulma grumbled against his thick chest, "You can let me go now." Once released from his iron grip, Bulma settled back in her chair and waited for Vegeta to sit before requesting, "Ok, so explain to me why you and Raditz think you have a 'Claim' on me."

_She really has no idea. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from a non-Saiyan._ Clearing his throat, Vegeta knew he had to tread carefully, "Do you remember when you tended to my leg after the Banquet?" After her nod, he continued, "And you remember that I bit your shoulder?" "Yeah, to mute your screams as I poured the MoonWater on it. What are you getting at, Vegeta?" Bulma was getting tired of him beating around the bush, which was totally out of character for the Saiyan Prince.

He asked her one final question, he had to be sure she understood, "And what was the last thing I said to you that day?" Shapely blue eyebrows furrowed in worried confusion, "You thanked me, but…" "After that." Vegeta interrupted, "What did I say to you after that?" The young woman closed her eyes and tried to recall the memory, whispering, "You said, '_I'm sorry._' But I don't understand, what did you have to be sorry for? It didn't hurt that bad and I'd let you do it again in a heartbeat."

A haunted smile crossed his handsome face as Vegeta steeled himself for her next reaction, "The bite mark will never fade. It shows all other Saiyans that you are Claimed. Saiyan tradition is that a gift be given first so that everyone would know who had begun to place a Claim. A year after the giving and receiving of the gift, if still desired by the other, the pair would Mate and how one would show that you had been Mated was a bite Mark at the junction between the shoulder and neck." Bulma's pale face became even paler, the worry evident in her shaky voice, "Does… does that mean we're…" "Married? Goodness, no." Vegeta chuckled. Now she was really puzzled, "But you just said…" Interrupting her again, Vegeta clarified, "The Mark is supposed to appear _after_ the first night of Mating; or the first night of marriage if that helps you. And I am supposed to have one as well, given to me by you. Since neither of these events has occurred then we are not Mated, even by Saiyan terms."

Taking a deep breath, Vegeta forged ahead, _I've come this far, might as well go all the way._ "Bulma, I Chose you as my Mate years ago. That's why I gave you my Mother's pin; to let everyone know that I had made my choice. Had I not Marked you, I might've had a chance at finding another Mate if you rejected me when we were old enough. But now that I have… I know I will never find anyone who can hold a candle to you, Woman. I will not force you to give me an answer now, nor will I force you into a marriage you do not want, but we must keep up the act for the cameras. Freeza is livid that we both survived the Game, and while he cannot out-right touch us just yet, he can most certainly harm your family and friends."

Bulma was stunned at his confession, her mouth gaped open as her genius mind tried to grasp the implications of his words. Tears glistened in her clear blue eyes as she raised a hand to cover her mouth, rasping out, "Vegeta, I… I don't know what to say…" "Then don't." Vegeta scowled, resting his chin on his fist as he stared out the window. Nodding, Bulma abruptly stood and rushed out of the car. _Humph, I don't know what I expected her do._ Vegeta thought sourly, his sensitive ears picking up on her sobs three train cars down.


	30. Chapter 30

30

The next day they were pulling into the Train Station in Region 12. Vegeta found Bulma waiting in the lounge car, leaning on her arms with her forehead against the cool glass window. Glancing at Vegeta as he came to stand beside her, Bulma asked quietly, "What now?" Crossing his arms, Vegeta shrugged, he had no idea but she didn't need to know that, "I guess we try to forget." Finally raising her head, Bulma looked straight into his coal-black eyes and muttered, "I don't want to forget."

As the train slowed to a stop, Vegeta held out his hand, "One more time, for the cameras?" A false, weak grin played on her lips as Bulma accepted his hand, noting how much darker his tan skin was compared to her paleness. Not liking her fake happiness, Vegeta raised her hand to his lips and placed a chaste kiss on the back of her knuckles, his onyx eyes never leaving her crystal blue ones as a true smile spread from her lips to her eyes. _Now we can face those vultures with no one the wiser._

When they stepped out, the throngs of people cheered for their Winners that had made it home. Smirking at Bulma, Vegeta thrust their interlocked hands into the air above their heads, causing the crowd to cheer louder. Krillin was still with them since his job was not over yet, and after a few moments of letting the two teens bask in their hard-earned glory, he quickly herded them to the Justice Building so the Mayor could give them the keys to their new houses in the Winner's Ward. A place set aside for the Winners of the Games were they didn't have to worry about anything except food, all the heat, power, and water they could want was free to them and each house was twice as big as Vegeta's and Bulma's and ten times nicer too; by Region standards anyway.

Once they were in the Mayor's office, the bore-ish man laid out a hand-drawn map of the Winner's Ward. "Pick any home you want, except for the one colored green, that's Piccolo's." The Mayor said, ecstatic to have some more Winners since Piccolo always showed up drunk to the Calling every year. There were eleven vacant houses all along a single stretch of road ten minutes away from the Market. Bulma picked a house two doors down and across the street from Piccolo's abode. "A fine choice, Miss Briefs." The Mayor opened a drawer at his desk and removed a gold key decorated with red swirls.

While debating on which house he wanted, Vegeta heard the Mayor clear his throat and glanced up, "What?" Now nervous, the Mayor stammered, "Umm… if you wish, Mr. Saiyan, you and Miss Briefs may share a house." Glowering at the older man, Vegeta's gravelly voice rumbled through the room, his tone commanding and dangerous, "No one lives with the Woman but her family. Not even me. I shall take this one." He pointed to the house directly across from the one Bulma chose. Quickly apologizing as he snatching a silver key with blue flames stamped into it, the Mayor held out the key to the angry young man, "Forgive me, I did not mean to assume. It's just… I thought that I saw that she had been Marked during the Game and thought…" "You thought wrong." Vegeta growled as he plucked the key from the bumbling man's hand.

Hurriedly getting his two charges out of the cramped office before the Prince did anything, Krillin fulfilled the last of his duties until it came time for their Triumphant Journey in six months and showed them to their new homes. Bulma's was a pale butter yellow on the outside with off-white shutters framing every window. Motioning for her to open the door, Krillin stood back with a stupid grin on his face. _I think he's more excited about this then we are._ Vegeta scoffed at the thought, _I'll never understand people like him._

Once Bulma unlocked the front door, she stepped in cautiously, as if worried that something or someone would jump out and attack her. A large, cozy sitting room was just over the threshold, the floor changed from cream carpet to gorgeous hardwood through a wide doorway where an eight-person dining table sat. Another doorway led from the dining room to the huge kitchen, which had a separate pantry at the far end. A second door led the trio from the kitchen into a hallway that connected the living room to the rest of the house. There was a spacious office, complete with furniture, on one side of the hallway and a slightly smaller office along with a full bathroom on the opposite side. Going up the stairs at the end of the hallway, there were three huge bedrooms, all with windows, and an enormous bathroom with a colossal bathtub that doubled as a shower; and both the tub and sink had hot and cold faucets. Every room was fully furnished and had a fireplace, except the bathrooms.

Across the street, Vegeta's new house was painted a light cerulean with white shutters. Inside, the living room was furnished with a leather couch and chair with the latest model T.V. above the fireplace, courtesy of President Freeza. The gray carpet stopped at the entrance to the dining room where the hardwood was dyed a chestnut brown. Other than the colors and living room furniture, everything essentially was the same as Bulma's place.

Clearing his throat, Krillin said his goodbyes, "Welp, my job here is done for now. I've got to be getting back to the train, but I'll see you guys again here in about six months." With that, the short, bald young man saw himself out of Vegeta's house and started running, Krillin was cutting it close and he didn't want to get left behind simply because he was late getting back. "Six months? Why would we see him in six months? The Games aren't for another year." Bulma wondered aloud, and Vegeta answered, "The Triumphant Journey, Woman. It always happens half-way between Games so it stays fresh in everyone's minds." "Oh, yeah..." Bulma muttered softly.

Clear blue eyes searched inky black depths, then Bulma stared at the ground and whispered, "Was it all a lie?" Flinching, Bulma prepared herself, she didn't know if she wanted to hear his answer but couldn't stop the question from wiggling its way out. Only slightly surprised, Vegeta's black eyebrows arched up as he reached a hand out and gently caressed her milky cheek, his deep voice dropped to a low rumble, "Like I could ever lie to you, Woman. Them, yes; but not you. Never you."

Tenderly pressing his lips to her's, Vegeta began to pull away when Bulma looped her arms around his neck, keeping him there. Gazing into his eyes, Bulma breathed into the shallow space between them, "Good; because I love you, Vegeta." Ecstatic at her confession, the Prince wrapped his arms tightly around her as he spun them around in a moment of sheer giddiness. _She Chose me back! My Mate chose me! In your face, Raditz._

* * *

**End of The Dragon Games.**

**Or is it?**


End file.
